scallops Archives - The Midnight Baker

Scallops with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 23:00:17 +0000

Scallops with roasted garlic cream sauce are super tasty and easy to make.

Roasted Garlic: Key To Flavor

These scallops with roasted garlic cream sauce are a garlic lover’s delight.

Have you ever roasted a head of garlic? If not, it’s terribly easy and has as many uses as you can think of. Roasting is convenient because you can toss it in the oven when you’re cooking something else. You can also impart subtle flavor by introducing your favorite herb(s) in the mix. For me, I generally top the garlic with a sprig of thyme when I roast it.

The recipe itself is easy and economical if you can believe that about scallops.

Scallops Can Be Economical

I know that’s hard to believe, but it’s true! Many stores offer more economical varieties–such as scallop pieces. Unless you’re trying to impress guests, the pieces are fine for a family meal. Also consider smaller and cheaper bay scallops.

If you don’t want to use pieces, the good news is even at full retail price, scallops are often used as a condiment and not the main part of the meal. Therefore, there’s less pieces per serving when served with rice or pasta as the major part of the meal.

Never Overcook

Scallops are creamy and tender if they are cooked to perfection. Overcooking will result in them being chewy and rubbery.

Do fight the urge to overcook. If you’re searing them, about two minutes per side is enough. The center should not be opaque but translucent. That’s when they’re perfect. You should have some translucency in cooked scallops. And remember that all proteins continue to cook after you remove them from a heat source.

The Recipe

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Scallops With Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

Great roasted garlic taste

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Roasting Garlic30

Course: Main, Main Course, Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: budget scallop recipes, scallops with roasted garlic sauce

Servings: 4

Calories: 312kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
1 head garlic cut in half
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 pound sea scallops
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Spoon 3 tablespoons olive oil over the cut sides of the garlic head; wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
Roast in the preheated oven until the garlic is soft, about 30 minutes; set aside until cool enough to handle.
Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a saucepan; pour the chicken stock into the saucepan and use a fork to mash the garlic into the stock. Cook the stock over high heat until the liquid is reduced in volume by half, about 10 minutes. Stir the cream into the stock and remove from heat; set aside.
Melt the butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper; sear in the hot butter and oil mixture until opaque, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat immediately.
Stir the lemon juice into the cream sauce; spoon immediately onto 2 plates. Arrange the scallops on the plates. Garnish with the parsley to serve.

Nutrition

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Sautéed Scallops

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:44 +0000

What better way to kick off the Lenten season than with these simple sautéed scallops?

Economical Scallops

I know the heading sound laughable, but these sautéed scallops are pretty economical. Considering that they are about $20 a pound I know it does sound ridiculous. Yes, they do cost more than ground beef but when you consider that the serving size is smaller and a pound can and will serve six people, it’s not really outrageous.

The key is making the scallops like a side dish or a condiment if you will. Serve them over a nice jasmine rice or some mashed potatoes and your meal is complete. This recipe is also so basic that you can add many things that go well with scallops. Veggies come to mind. Some zucchini (aka courgettes) and tomatoes would be perfect.

Bay Or Sea Scallops

Actually, either variety will do here.

Bay scallops are more pricy than the larger sea scallops. Therefore, I prefer to get the sea scallops. What I do is cut them up into pieces about the size of a bay scallop.

Another money-saving tip is that some stores sell scallop pieces. They are perfect for this recipe. I’ve seen them priced as low as $9.99 a pound and that makes this dish even more economical. They taste the same and are the perfect size so why not? Look for them in the frozen fish case at your store.

Removing Excess Flour

Here’s another little trick I picked up binge watching old Julia Child shows–and it’s a great way to remove excess seasoned flour from any meat or fish that’s in small pieces.

That fine-mesh strainer you have is excellent for this. You just dump the pieces of whatever is dusted with the flour into it, then shake it a bit and voila–no fuss or muss. Of course you have to wash that strainer, but this is such a good way to do this task that even I don’t mind that.

The Recipe

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Sautéed Scallops

Quick and delicious

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: economical scallop recipes, scallops for lent

Servings: 6

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb sea scallops cut into pieces, or uncut bay scallops
1 tbs butter
1 tbs oil
2 tbs fresh parsley chopped

Seasoned flour:

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
Mix seasoned flour ingredients in a plastic bag. Add scallops to the bag to dust with flour. Dump the scallops into a mesh strainer to remove excess flour.
Add the scallops to the skillet and sauté until they just turn opaque. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately

Nutrition

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Easy Breaded Scallops

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 23:00:45 +0000

Tired of BBQ and salads? These easy breaded scallops are quick and easy to make

Take A Break From BBQ

Since I look forward to summer because I love to cook outdoors, I am sure many of you feel the same way as I do. However, there comes a point where you just get tired of everything grilled or endless salads.

These easy breaded scallops are just the thing you have been looking for if the above describes being in a summer rut.

Scallops cook very quickly so they won’t heat up the kitchen. It’s actually less than a five-minute cook time.

Prepping The Scallops

Scallops do need a bit of preparation before using them. If you know you have IQF dry scallops, the prep is easy. However, unless you paid a bomb for them–and I mean over $20 a pound, what you likely have is what most stores sell–regular old sea (wet) scallops.

If you don’t make an attempt to dry them as much as you can, you’ll end up with a bunch of milky water in the skillet and the scallops will taste steamed. You can prevent that by soaking them in a quart of cold water with 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of salt mixed in for 30 minutes. Then dry them really well on several layers of paper towels. This is especially important if you want to make naked scallops that are just seared.

If you are lucky enough to have “dry” scallops, all you have to do is place them on some paper towels to absorb the water.

Have you guessed that water is the enemy of great scallop dishes?

Believe It Or Not…

Scallops, like shrimp are economical. Shrimp goes on sale a lot more than scallops, but scallops do go on sale often. When that happens, it’s time to treat yourself.

It’s also not a budget buster because you rarely serve huge portions; three or four scallops will suffice mainly because they’re either served with pasta or are not the main part of the dish.

With these breaded ones, I serve a classic macaroni and cheese along side. The mac & cheese is actually the “main” and the scallops are the “side.”

The Recipe

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Easy Breaded Scallops

Treat yourself to some crunchy scallops

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy breaded scallops, economical scallop recipes, preparing scallops

Servings: 4

Calories: 268kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 lb sea scallops
2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
1 tbs vegetable oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a shallow bowl, lightly beat egg. In another bowl, toss potato flakes and bread crumbs with salt and pepper. In a third bowl, toss scallops with flour to coat lightly. Dip in egg, then in potato mixture, patting to adhere.
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add scallops; cook until golden brown and scallops are firm and opaque, 2-3 minutes per side

Nutrition

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Skillet Scallops in Garlic Pepper Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 00:00:24 +0000

Lent doesn’t have to be boring with dinners like these skillet scallops in garlic pepper sauce.

Scallops Are A Treat

Due to the high cost, scallops are a rare treat for most of us. I admit I’m partial to the organic sea scallops my local store sells but since they cost $20 for a pound, I don’t indulge often.

However, you can find scallops at a lower cost–namely pieces instead of whole or smaller bay scallops. Either will work fine in this recipe. And non-organic is cheaper too.

Of course these skillet scallops in garlic pepper sauce make a better presentation using larger whole scallops so I’m willing to bite the bullet on price for this Lenten indulgence.

A Little Bit Of Heat

That small amount of hot pepper adds so much to this dish. I admit to being partial to a small zing when it comes to seafood. The slight bit of of heat complements the sweetness of the scallops so well.

Since I grow my own jalapeños in one of my hydroponic gardens, I have easy access to fully ripe ones that are red in color. It’d be rare to find them in the produce department of any store, so red chilis can stand in here.

Now, if you’re not partial to heat in any form, just use a red bell pepper. It’ll taste just as good, but minus the heat. It’s really the pepper taste you want here so bell peppers will work very well.

Butter And Oil

Adding just a little oil to butter fortifies it so that the butter doesn’t burn or scorch so easily. It’s an old trick and one you’ll want to use here because of frying the scallops over a high-ish heat.

If you use clarified butter, that has a very high smoke point because the milk solids are all out of the butter, and it’s the milk solids that burn. Making clarified butter is pretty easy and a quick Google search will bring up how to do this. Clarified butter is also shelf stable and requires no refrigeration. Plus it lasts a long time.

I don’t bother with making clarified butter anymore. I buy ghee–which is the exact same thing. It’s pretty reasonably priced too.

If you do use clarified butter/ghee, you can eliminate the oil in the recipe.

The Recipe

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Skillet Scallops in Garlic Pepper Sauce

Great Lenten meal or anytime meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: garlic scallops, lenten seafood meals, scallop recipes with sauces, seafood meals with sauce

Servings: 4

Calories: 231kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb sea scallops
2 tbs butter see NOTES
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs red chili pepper finely diced (see NOTES)
1/4 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tbs lemon juice
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp minced fresh parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Toss bread crumbs with salt in a small bowl. Dip scallops in crumb mixture to coat both sides, patting to help coating adhere.
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add scallops; cook 1-1/2 to 2 minutes on each side or until firm and opaque. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add the chili pepper to the same skillet and fry for about 30 seconds.
Add wine, lemon juice and garlic to same pan; bring to a boil. Stir in parsley. Drizzle over scallops; serve immediately.

Notes

Any red pepper will do. I used a ripe jalapeño (because I grow them). If you don't want any heat, a red bell pepper will do.

You can also use clarified butter or ghee. If you do, eliminate the oil.

Nutrition

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Scallops in Onion Sage Cream Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 21 May 2019 23:00:26 +0000

This scrumptious scallops dinner in a creamy onion sage sauce only sounds fancy. It’s very easy to make.

Scallops As You’ve Never Tasted Them

This was a surprising change of pace for me. When I originally saw the recipe in a Taste of Home email, I wanted to try this ASAP.

I love scallops. However, I basically eat them pretty much the standard ways, which consist of searing them in a skillet, broiling them in butter or coating them with breadcrumbs and baking them.

This recipe got me out of my usual “scallop rut” and introduced me to a new way to prepare them.

Scallops Won’t Break The Budget

I won’t lie; scallops are very expensive. The good news here is that because this recipe has a sauce with pasta, you can serve more people from a pound of scallops. It’s indulgent, but not quite as much as if you served them as the main part of the meal.

One of my stores sells scallop pieces. They are regular sea scallops but had the misfortune of not coming out of their shells whole when they were cut. These are sold at half the price of colossal sea scallops and work perfectly in this dish because they are an ingredient rather than the star of the show.

You can always substitute bay scallops which are pretty reasonable. They have a chewier texture but taste like the big ones. They’d work well here with the sauce and pasta.

The Sage

One thing I adapted from the original recipe was the amount of sage.

The original contained quite a bit. I cut that in half because where I do like sage, I prefer a milder flavor; too much tastes medicinal to me and I didn’t want to take the chance on spoiling something with a rather costly ingredient.

I might also add that you must use fresh sage here. The ground stuff in the jar just won’t work. The good news is that you can buy packets in the produce section that have about 10 leaves in them. My store also sells plants that you can keep growing on the windowsill or plant in your garden if you wish.

The Recipe

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Scallops in Onion Sage Cream Sauce

A different way to serve scallops

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pasta, scallops, seafood

Servings: 6

Calories: 357kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb sea scallops preferred but bay scallops will work
salt & pepper
3 tbs olive oil divided
1 tbs butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic finely minced
3/4 cup heavy cream
4-6 fresh sage leaves thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
16 oz fettucine or linguine cooked

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pat scallops as dry as you can get them, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops to the pan, but don’t crowd them. To get a good sear, DO NOT MOVE THEM AROUND—let them stay put for about 2 minutes. They will release easily once seared. Turn them and cook for about 1 minute on the other side. Remove from the pan and keep them warm.
Wipe out the skillet then add the remaining oil and the butter. Saute the onion and garlic about 1 minute till they become fragrant.
Add the cream, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and boil for about 1 minute till the sauce is slightly thick.
Place the scallops back in the pan and heat through—about 30 seconds.
Serve with pasta.

Nutrition

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Pan Seared Scallops

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Pan Seared Scallops

Enjoy pan seared scallops at home. It’s easy once you know the secret.

Restaurant Style At Home

Ever wondered why you could try to duplicate the restaurant at home but the never came out quite right? There’s two secrets.

First secret is clarified butter. The second is you leave the pan on a high heat and do NOT move them around and not crowding the pan.

There are several good tutorials on making clarified butter on line. Here’s a good video on one from Allrecipes.com

It’s best here to use a non-stick pan, and I’d recommend the newer ceramic-based coatings because they can take high heat where Teflon cannot.

The Recipe

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Pan Seared Scallops

Ever wondered why you could try to duplicate the restaurant at home but the never came out quite right? There’s two secrets.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Seafood

Cuisine: American

Keyword: scallops

Servings: 2

Calories: 333kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz sea scallops
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp clarified butter
coarse sea salt

Instructions

Soak scallops in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes. This gets rid of the milky preservative that is usually used. Drain and dry scallops very well. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Heat non-stick pan, and the larger the better. For 8 oz, I recommend at least a 10-inch if not 12-inch skillet. Add olive oil and clarified butter over medium to high heat until the oil/butter just begins to smoke.
Add the scallops, salt side down, with plenty of room between each. DO NOT MOVE THE THEM. Let them sear for about 3-5 minutes or until you can see a nice deep golden brown around the bottom edges.
At this point, you may lift them with tongs to see how well they have seared. If they are nicely seared, turn and cook for about HALF the time. Scallops should be slightly underdone, and you should see a translucent band in the center; they continue cooking after they are removed from the heat and the key here is not to overcook them. They should feel slightly spongy to the touch.
Plate and serve drizzling with the oil/butter that remained in the pan.

Nutrition

Pan Seared Scallops

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