In the spirit of NOLA BBQ shrimp, tonight's dinner will be "BBQ" scallops--nice, big U-12 scallops (praise Costco online), butter, Worcestershire sauce, spices... Your thoughts?
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My thoughts? Yum. -
I love scallops. My preference with seafood - less is more. Complement the natural flavor with butter and the right amount of salt, maybe some garlic, paprika/chile, fresh citrus, and a good sear. 🧄🌶🧈ðŸ‹🔥🔥🔥Comment
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Sounds GREAT!Comment
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We just said scallops, Costco, on Monday. I agree, keep it simple. They are too tasty for too many extras. Quick sear in pan with some oil and butter and lemon, done.Comment
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Butter is a must....anything else -use sparinglyComment
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Yes! Scallops are on tonight! Good call!Comment
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My thoughts? Where's the pictures !?!Comment
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Yeah, me too, pics?? Although it may be too late for that now, but what grill was used, and how did you cook them? I’ve done no seafood on my grills as yet and have little experience with seafood at all to be honest, but want to get moving on that and I love scallops. Hoping to learn from your wisdom!Comment
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From my next book:
Scallops With Black Garlic Butter Sauce
Scallops and butter. No brainer. Add garlic. Duh! But black garlic? Oh my. And please, don’t skip the kumquats. Tangerines or Cuties are good, but kumquats are great.
You will probably buy scallops already shucked and cleaned, white pillows typically about 1-inch across and 1/2-inch thick, but they can be larger and smaller. They are the adductor muscle that holds the two shells together. When you buy them shucked, the orange roe sac, sometimes called coral, has usually been removed because it spoils rapidly. But if you buy them in the shell there is a good chance it will still be there. Don’t discard it!
Makes. 4 appetizers or 2 entrees
Takes. 5 minutes to prep, 5 minutes to sear
Serve with. Rice pilaf, pasta, crusty bread or something that can be used to absorb any extra butter. You won’t want to waste a drop.
16 large day-boat scallops, about 1 ½ ounces each
Freshly ground black pepper
Ghee
8 kumquats or 4 small tangerines
Black Garlic Butter Sauce (below)
Smoked paprika, for garnish
Optional. If you want some spice, substitute chipotle powder for the smoked paprika. Another fun garnish: dulse or slivered seaweed. If you want to amp up the scallops, give them 10 minutes with a smoking gun either before grilling or after.
About the kumquats. If you can’t find them, try harder. If you still can’t find them you can cut tangerines or cuties into slices and then quarters.
1| Prep the scallops. If you can buy scallops that have already been shucked, all you need to do is rinse them. If they are still in the shells, it is pretty easy to pry them open with a butter knife inserted between the shells opposite the hinge. One shell is flat, the other curved. Place the scallop on a cutting board flat shell down. Open the shell just a crack, hold it open with your thumb, insert a sharp flexible filleting knife and press it along the flat shell cutting the adductor muscle away from the shell. Now place it curved side down and with a spoon, cut the muscle away from the curved shell. Pull off the inedible frill and guts with your fingers and with a your sharp knife cut them away from the adductor muscle, the edible white marshmallow is what we want to eat. There may be some orange roe clinging to the muscle. It is delicious so leave it on. Rinse the scallops vigorously and for longer than you think necessary, even if you bought them shucked. Make sure any black specks and film are gone. Season both sides of the scallops very lightly with salt.
2| Fire up. Warm 4 plates in a low oven. Get a grill screaming hot over direct radiant heat. Sear the scallops on one side until crusty and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and sear for 1 minute only on the other side. The internal temp should reach 125 to 130°F.
2| Serve. Slice the kumquats and discard the seeds. Divide the sliced kumquats among warm plates and place the scallops crusty side up, on top. Immediately spoon on the chunky Black Garlic Butter Sauce. Scatter smoked paprika or chipotle powder over the top.
Black Garlic Butter Sauce
Black garlic is a umami-bomb that was once rare and only seen in Asian kitchens, but is now the darling of restaurant chefs and adventurous home cooks. It is raw garlic that has been fermented and aged at a controlled warm temperature. When you chop it, it is sticky, almost tar-like, and full of slightly sweet, earthy and savory flavor, at once reminiscent of figs and rare fine balsamic. Once you try it you’ll fall in love! This mix of black garlic and butter made my knees buckle. Pour it over grilled seafood for starters.
Makes. About 3/4 cup
Takes. 5 minutes
8 large cloves black garlic
3 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
Thoroughly peel the black garlic, then mince the cloves. It will be like a chunky-sticky paste. In a small pan, melt the butter over low heat and add the zest, black garlic, and salt. Stir to distribute the garlic bits. Serve immediately or set aside for up to 1 hour. If desired, warm through very gently to get the butter flowing again.
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Thanks for the comments all. Yeah, I get the "less is more" concept, but I was hankerin' for some NOLA BBQ sauce and this dish delivered. The recipe is copyrighted, but the sauce was basically 1 1/2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup Worcestershire, and some Cajun-y spices. I seared the scallops on one side first (indoors, in a cast iron skillet), then flipped 'em over and added the butter and sauce ingredients.
No pics, so, I know, it didn't happen. ;«)
Now, to check out Meathead's recipe above...
ETA: Served this with some grits: 5:1 water to grits by volume, plus a little grated Gruyere added at the end..Last edited by Willy; July 24, 2022, 11:45 AM.Comment
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Today I smoked scallops in the half shell. Here in Japan, the scallops come with the orange roe sac intact, frozen, in the half shell along with the liquor. I didn't realize people didn't eat them until someone mentioned they don't usually eat that part today, so I opened my copy of The Meathead Method and found this text. We've been just eating the coral as part of a low and slow smoked scallop, but what is the intended use referenced here? I can't find it in the book or the recipe. Do people usually take it away from the rest of the meat and treat it differently? I had noticed it is quite different in texture and taste from the rest of the scallop when eating it, and the scallops we bought frozen without shells, for use as sashimi, did not include this orange roe sac. Grateful for any tips!Originally posted by Meathead View Post
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You were not kidding - best scallops I have had. Was not going to bother but after your reply went and bought some reasonably priced wine, and failed to find tarragon so substituted dried oregano, and used a rehydrated chipotle as the chile, but that sauce was killer. Why did I make roast beef and ribs when we could have just eaten bivalves all day? All delicious but I feel like I have entered a new dimension of life with this sauce. Thanks Meathead!Attached FilesComment
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