Pan Seared Scallop Tips from Ted Allen
Pan Seared Scallops (I didn't cook this, Google Images did)
Last time on Foodtacular, Ted Allen (host of Food Network’s Chopped) helped us with some fish cooking tips (see Fish and Flips). Now we’re continuing our adventure into seafood-searing land and we’ve asked Ted for some advice on properly pan searing scallops.
Ted was kind enough to grace us with his wisdom and here’s what he had to say. Some of Ted’s fans, Daniel and Margie gave us a few tips as well.
Ted Allen's Pro Tips on Scallop Searing
Ted recommended us to use scallops labeled as “dry” because they’re not soaked in TSP preservatives. I think TSP stands for “Totally Soaked in Preservatives”. Yes, that sounds about right.
The Advice: Breakin’ it down
The Scallops: Whenever I buy scallops, I always drain them and soak them in fresh water. After a while, I can see this opaque blue-ish white liquid seep out of my scallops. That’s probably all that TSP.
The Cooking Technique: Ted’s advice here is pretty good! Dry scallops, a bit of oil, toss them in and shake! I’ve been doing it all wrong. I put my scallops down and then leave them there. Boo! Because scallops are so delicate, if you left them to sear like a steak, they’d stick and get all destroyed. Shaking them around cooks the scallop very lightly and allows you to leave them to sear right afterwards with more stability. A quick 2 minutes on each side will yield well seared scallops.
Next, Daniel added that we could also baste the scallops in the pan with the cooking liquid to continue the cooking process. That’s also a great technique. Daniel continues to warn us not to cook too many scallops in one pan. Another good tip! Don’t crowd the pan!
Margie also echo’s Daniel’s note about trying to use different cooking oils, such as canola instead of just olive oil.
Well, I can’t wait to try out this advice. Hopefully next time, my scallops won’t looks like a ruby TSP soaked mess.
Happy searing everyone!
Aloha dude! This looks good!
That’s a neat technique. I’m going to have to try it.
zomg! i love ted allen! how did you get him to talk to you?
Thanks for having written this. I was looking for ways to do this.
My scallops always stick to the pan. Must the the oil or the pan temp or something.
i didn’t know Ted knew so much about food
Ted is so awesome!
you win
fancy seafood preparations always impress guests at dinner parties. thanks for the tip!
Excellent post. i like this and I’m gonna go try it!
Oh Ted. When is he gonna cook on Chopped?
Technique is required here. Practice makes perfect!
i need to work on this one myself. it’s not easy when they stick.
that pan needs to just the right kinda hot. and make sure your scallops are fresh.
interesting! how’d you get Ted Allen to chime in?