Scallops?

[alevasseur14]

I was looking through the local supermarket's flyer today at work and I noticed they have frozen scallops really, really cheap. I realize they probably won't be very good as cheap as they are but do you guys think they will be a decent way to start off? I've never had scallops but I see them cooked all the time on Hell's Kitchen and other cooking shows.

How do you cook them? Do they go with anything or do you just eat them by themselves? I'm really curious.

Thanks!

 

[xSauronx]

frozen scallops are going to have a horrible texture. id avoid them. youre profile is empty so i dont know where you are. do you have seafood markets in your area? thats where you should get scallops.

if you can find fresh ones, then you can find plenty of recipes for them. i like to sear mine in a little oil to get a little crust on the outside, maybe serve it with pasta and a lemon cream sauce or something. theyre my favorite kind of seafood, but due to the expense, i dont eat them often.

 

[alevasseur14]

I live in Minneapolis, MN. I'm not familiar with any seafood markets near me, but I'm sure there are some. I'll have to look into that. What kind of oil do you use? Olive?

I'll probably not get the frozen ones. You'd fall off your chair if I told you what they were on special for...

 

[evident]

where do you live? if you live on the coasts, you can get fresh scallops pretty easily at a fish store or higher end supermarket but it may cost you. def. go that route if possible. i couldn't imagine my life w/o scallops man.


frozen scallops while not bad, they aren't mind bogglingly good like fresh scallops. i would say that of the frozen seafood, it's probably not at the top of edibility like say, frozen shrimp is.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Scallops are best when done in the simplest manner possible. And while they're simple to cook they're fairly tough to cook WELL. The whole trick with scallops, no matter what method you use, is to cook them the ideal length of time. They go from raw to overcooked and rubbery pretty quickly and it takes some practice to know when to get them off the heat at the right time.

My favorite method is a pan sear with just a little lemon. Start with a little melted butter in a medium hot pan. Drop in your scallops and cook for about 2 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. They're done when they turn opaque and you need to get them out of the pan quickly. Serve with the pan juice, a squeeze of lemon and salt/pepper and they're delicious. Just cook in small batches to start, only one or two scallops at a time because you're going to ruin a few until you get a feel for the timing.

 

[alevasseur14]

Sigh. Probably about as far from either coast you can get. Right in the middle. I'm sure I can get some reasonably fresh ones around here though...

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
I live in Minneapolis, MN. I'm not familiar with any seafood markets near me, but I'm sure there are some. I'll have to look into that. What kind of oil do you use? Olive?

I'll probably not get the frozen ones. You'd fall off your chair if I told you what they were on special for...

Minnesota? god damn. scallops come from the sea. youre not near it.

frozen ones have additives that cause the scallops to soak up a lot of water, which ruins the texture. some places to pack them without additives but...i wouldnt count on finding them in the middle of the country. id still avoid them.

avoid them til you make a visit to the coast one day. a friend of mine from kansas called me once "ohh i tried some seafood, i cant believe you like scallops, theyre horrible"

i had previously told her not to eat any...because theyd be awful. fresh ones are wonderfully delicious. i didnt bother looking for seafood in kansas. i had some good steaks and brisket though...but not seafood.

/coastal states ftw

 

[Tiamat]

gotta get fresh unfortunately

 

[Newbian]

Just don't be a fan of seafood like I am and you know you won't miss much.

 

[alevasseur14]

Originally posted by: Newbian
Just don't be a fan of seafood like I am and you know you won't miss much.

I'm trying to learn how to cook more things at home instead of eating out all the time. Need to save money!

Plus, I figure bringing a lady home and cooking for her is both impressive and more economical!

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
I live in Minneapolis, MN. I'm not familiar with any seafood markets near me, but I'm sure there are some. I'll have to look into that. What kind of oil do you use? Olive?

I'll probably not get the frozen ones. You'd fall off your chair if I told you what they were on special for...

please enlighten us.

 

[WelshBloke]

fresh scallops>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>frozen scallops
frozen scallops>>>>no scallops at all

 

[cherrytwist]

I live in the midwest and there is a local seafood store that sells fresh scallops. The trick is you have to get them before/after all of the local restaurants do. Or whatever they have left in stock. And avoid bay scallops. You want sea scallops.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: WelshBloke
fresh scallops>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>frozen scallops
frozen scallops>>>>no scallops at all

not that the average diner can tell the diff. they'll prob cook it all the way through anyway.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Scallops are best when done in the simplest manner possible. And while they're simple to cook they're fairly tough to cook WELL. The whole trick with scallops, no matter what method you use, is to cook them the ideal length of time. They go from raw to overcooked and rubbery pretty quickly and it takes some practice to know when to get them off the heat at the right time.

My favorite method is a pan sear with just a little lemon. Start with a little melted butter in a medium hot pan. Drop in your scallops and cook for about 2 minutes on one side, flip and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. They're done when they turn opaque and you need to get them out of the pan quickly. Serve with the pan juice, a squeeze of lemon and salt/pepper and they're delicious. Just cook in small batches to start, only one or two scallops at a time because you're going to ruin a few until you get a feel for the timing.

word. i always try to err on the side of raw than rubbery cooked though.

 

[JulesMaximus]

They'd be fine for a pasta dish but I would get fresh scallops to broil for a few minutes or BBQ and eat with a little drawn butter.

I love scallops!

 

[WelshBloke]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
They'd be fine for a pasta dish but I would get fresh scallops to broil for a few minutes or BBQ and eat with a little drawn butter.

I love scallops!

I used some frozen ones in paella a couple of days ago, twas yummy.

Fresh would have been a waste.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14

Originally posted by: Newbian
Just don't be a fan of seafood like I am and you know you won't miss much.

I'm trying to learn how to cook more things at home instead of eating out all the time. Need to save money!

Plus, I figure bringing a lady home and cooking for her is both impressive and more economical!

theres a load of things you can get easily enough that wont be meh when you cook them. try chicken kiev or steak au poivre, neither of those are difficult and both should be impressive enough.

if you really want to do "seafood" just find some fish; youre near the great lakes so getting decent fish shouldnt be too hard. and frozen shrimp are usually fine as long as you thaw them fully before cooking, and dont overcook them.

 

[alevasseur14]

I can get the best Walleye known to man. Two points whoever can tell me the name of my home town. "Walleye capitol of the world!" I think I'm going to make some home made venison stew when I get off work today. Seems like a good Labor day project and I haven't had it in a while. Nothing - NOTHING- beats fresh venison you shot, cleaned, prepped yourself!

Sauron, do you have recipes you use for those two dishes you mentioned? I really haven't cooked much in my life and I don't really know where to start. I'd like to try those two things!

JS - 10/$10. Yeah...

 

[Newbian]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
I can get the best Walleye known to man. Two points whoever can tell me the name of my home town. "Walleye capitol of the world!" I think I'm going to make some home made venison stew when I get off work today. Seems like a good Labor day project and I haven't had it in a while. Nothing - NOTHING- beats fresh venison you shot, cleaned, prepped yourself!

Sauron, do you have recipes you use for those two dishes you mentioned? I really haven't cooked much in my life and I don't really know where to start. I'd like to try those two things!

JS - 10/$10. Yeah...

Considering so many places say that I will present with the google search and hope it's one of those:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&s...=1&fp=f26c82dd6820c611

 

[alevasseur14]

Originally posted by: Newbian

Considering so many places say that I will present with the google search and hope it's one of those:

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&s...=1&fp=f26c82dd6820c611

What? Everything I thought I learned as a child is WRONG!!!

It's on that results page. 4 times. Hint: It's in MN.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
I can get the best Walleye known to man. Two points whoever can tell me the name of my home town. "Walleye capitol of the world!" I think I'm going to make some home made venison stew when I get off work today. Seems like a good Labor day project and I haven't had it in a while. Nothing - NOTHING- beats fresh venison you shot, cleaned, prepped yourself!

Sauron, do you have recipes you use for those two dishes you mentioned? I really haven't cooked much in my life and I don't really know where to start. I'd like to try those two things!

JS - 10/$10. Yeah...

Sauté: Olive oil + fresh crushed garlic + sea salt + Fresh (never frozen) Jumbo Sea Scallops FTMFW.

 

[DrPizza]

10 pounds for 10 dollars?
or
10 sea scallops for 10 dollars?

I've seen bay scallops for about $3 or 4 a pound. So, I wouldn't be too surprised if they had to clean out their over-stock in freezers with 10 pounds for 10 dollars.

I passed up a deal on live lobsters a few months ago. The 2 pound lobsters were the most expensive per pound, but if the lobster was over 5 pounds, it was only $6 per pound. I didn't know better & assumed that the bigger, older lobsters would be tough or not as good for some reason. Just recently, I talked to a seafood wholesaler & asked him about it. The only reason the 2 pounders are so much more expensive is supply and demand - that's the size most restaurants want. They don't want 3 pounders.

 

[alevasseur14]

10 4 Oz bags for 10 dollars...

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: alevasseur14
I can get the best Walleye known to man. Two points whoever can tell me the name of my home town. "Walleye capitol of the world!" I think I'm going to make some home made venison stew when I get off work today. Seems like a good Labor day project and I haven't had it in a while. Nothing - NOTHING- beats fresh venison you shot, cleaned, prepped yourself!

Sauron, do you have recipes you use for those two dishes you mentioned? I really haven't cooked much in my life and I don't really know where to start. I'd like to try those two things!

JS - 10/$10. Yeah...

chicken kiev:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/rec...kiev-recipe/index.html

if you do this properly, this is what it looks like inside:
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/xsauronx/kiev1.JPG

steak au poivre:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/rec...ivre-recipe/index.html

edit: if you want to learn to cook, i suggest Alton Browns Im Just Here for the Food. excellent introduction to basic cooking process and technique, as is his show, Good Eats.