Excessive water when cooking scallops
This is partly a continuation of this question, since that one was already closed, but my question is about a specific problem encountered the last time I cooked scallops.
I got the pan up to a reasonable temperature and put the scallops in, and as they were cooking, TONS of water came out of the scallops and filled the pan. I poured it out, continued cooking, and more water came out. Several iterations later, I thought they were done, but they were still very raw inside, so we ended up tossing the batch (it definitely wasn't sushi grade).
Where did all the liquid come from, and is there any way to avoid that the next time?
Best Answer
I've had this issue with crappy supermarket scallops before. Alton Brown covered this. From http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season9/scallops/scallop_trans.htm (section 5):
dry scallops are usually ivory, or slightly pink, or even orange in color, not white. Of course, they don't actually look dry. The term refers to the fact that these lovely lozenges have not been soaked in any kind of chemical, say, sodium tripolyphosphate. This solution is used to help scallops retain moisture when frozen. Now there's nothing wrong with that per se, unless the scallop in question is not going to be frozen. You see, treating fresh scallops with S.T.P. causes them to gain moisture, making them heavier, which could be a good thing for a retailer, but it's never good for a cook. Because once this stuff is inside the scallop, they become very difficult to cook properly, and they are impossible to sear properly.
Diver scallops are probably good. Look for a bit of color when buying. The good news is that you probably aren't doing anything wrong, the scallops just aren't going to sear.
When you buy for searing, get scallops that haven't been treated with chemicals. Diver scallops are almost always untreated. Look for a bit of color, which is usually a sign of quality. Don't buy them if they are in a pool of milky liquid (as they usually are in the fish section of the supermarket). Buying diver scallops is also much more sustainable and eco-friendly, since large ships that freeze their stock at sea dredge the floor to get scallops. Divers are much more selective and do negligible damage to the ocean floor.
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Quick Answer about "Excessive water when cooking scallops"
When you cook them, they release a lot more water, because there is so much more water trapped within them. Releasing water when you cook them prevents them from getting that good, brown, crusty sear on them, because there's so much moisture. Dry scallops haven't been treated in that way.How do you remove excess water from scallops?
Place a towel (or a few paper towels) down on a large plate. Place the scallops on the towel then cover with an additional towel (or paper towels). Press gently to remove excess water.Why are my scallops bubbling?
When you cook a wet scallop, you'll notice bubbles will appear around the scallop. This is the water that was absorbed being released. Now, the scallop is steaming when it should be searing.Why are my scallops mushy?
An overcooked scallop has a very chewy texture. That's because the proteins have cooked to the point that they squeeze out all the moisture. And there is no extra fat present in a scallop to help to mask the fact that they are overcooked.More answers regarding excessive water when cooking scallops
Answer 2
Scallops are like little sponges. Don't let 'em soak in water, or they'll absorb a ton of it and then release it all when you start cooking them.
If you need to wash them, put them in a strainer, and run them under the water for a second. Then pat them dry with some paper towels.
Answer 3
Make sure you are not crowding your scallops in the pan. If there are too many, then there is not enough empty surface for liquid released to boil off. This also ends up steaming your scallops rather than frying, which I don't like nearly as much. If you have enough hot, open pan around the scallops, then liquid will boil off very quickly.
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