Sunday 16 February 2014

Seared Scallops With Creamy White Wine Sauce


So yesterday I went to Costco and finally got some of the sea scallops I have been seeing each time I go.
They come in a 900 gram bag for about $42 at the moment, although they were cheaper near Christmas so I guess they were on special or the price fluctuates according to season (which is what I hope, it makes me think they are fresher if they aren't kept long enough to avoid seasonal prices!).
I had seen this video from Foodwishes on Youtube a while ago and thought it looked so good. So I made my own. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it is very similar.

                                    

Ingredients (serves two):

  •  6 sea scallops
  • pasta (mine was a mix of spaghetti and linguine), I use the measuring thing at the top of the container to measure how much.
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed, chopped or grated. 
  • Dry white wine, I used around 3/4 of a cup I think. 
  • 3 heaping tablespoons of cream, I used the Philly cream for cooking because I was too scared to have it separate and ruin the very expensive scallops!
  • Parsley, however much you like, I used about 2 cm worth of that bunch, chopped. 
  • Oil, butter, salt, pepper, chili flakes, Parmesan and lemon juice as you see fit. 
Method:
  1. Defrost the scallops on a rack over a plate to allow any excess moisture to drain. Rinse and dry them VERY thoroughly.
  2. Season Scallops with salt and pepper.
  3. Boil water and have pasta boiling before starting anything else as it all cooks very fast once you get started.Always check on it, turn it off when slightly underdone and leave in the pot or drain when done and have ready to add to the sauce.  
  4. Heat a fry pan with some oil to a very high heat and carefully add the scallops. Leave in the pan without moving for about 1 and half minutes, or a tiny bit more, for each side. All the recipes I read said one minute, but I felt that mine were a little under done and they were in there for a bit over a minute each side.
  5. Remove the scallops and set aside. Turn the temperature down and add the butter and garlic.
  6. Before the garlic has a chance to crisp, add the wine and chili and allow to simmer. 
  7. Add the cream and lemon juice and simmer to your desired consistency (this happened in the time it took me to get an extra dollop of cream and some more lemon juice, it's very fast if your pan was really hot to start with). Turn heat right down.
  8. Add the pasta and parsley and stir through to heat pasta if it has been out of the pot.
  9. Serve the pasta on plates with salad, with the scallops on top and some Parmesan cheese!
This was a really yummy and fast meal. I think it would be excellent for a dinner party as it is quite fancy, but doesn't require a lot of work and isn't overly filling, meaning more room for appetizers and desserts! 
The Scallops were excellent I think (not that I have a lot of experience) but I found they have a nice mild taste and are really sweet. They were not rubbery or chewy, but did not fall apart either. 





7 comments:

  1. I love scallops! But costco is not giving you a bargain with that price unfortunately.

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    1. Oh gosh and I just read they were frozen. You can get fresh caught Australian scallops from seafood shops for $35 per kg (in Melbourne, anyway). Sometimes I love costco, sometimes I find them to be very sneaky with pricing!

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    2. Thanks for the tips!
      Do you know if they are sea scallops (big) or bay scallops (small) in Melbourne? I was talking to my dad last night and he said that around Christmas when they were visiting, the frozen scallops were listed as being from Hervey Bay, which are sea scallops, whereas the stuff caught around Vic and Tas are bay scallops..... So now I'm thinking maybe the sea scallops are out of season so they are importing, which would explain the price increase as well. In any case, they were very good and being frozen is a good thing for me as I am unlikely to make a special trip to get them fresh so would not have them at all. :)

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  2. Oh, this looks so delicious! Yummm

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  3. Yummers! I love scallops - this looks amazing!

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  4. Philly cream? Do you mean Philadelphia Cream Cheese?

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