How do I ensure that I cook scallops all the way through?
Whenever I cook scallops, they tend to shrink up quickly and burn on the outside. Even though I leave them in the pan for several minutes at a time, despite the shriveling and burning, they always end up raw in the middle. The insides are cold, fishy tasting, and, to be honest, pretty nauseating. What am I doing wrong? I usually saute them in a little oil on high heat, flipping them every so often when the side touching the pan starts to brown and stick. Scallops are my favorite food; please help!
Thanks!
Alyssa
Best Answer
High heat and quick cooking are essential for scallops. Several minutes cooking will result in fishy racquetballs.
Firstly, remove the scallops from the fridge half an hour or so before you cook them, so they're not stone cold (but don't put them anywhere warm or in the sun). Heat your olive oil in a pan until it starts to sizzle. Season the scallops, then place them in the oil. Don't move them for 90 seconds so they develop a nice crust. Once that's happened, turn them over and cook for another 90 seconds. That's it.
If you want to see the process, Gordon Ramsay's official YouTube channel has a couple of videos:
(Part two follows straight on, so you can see how quickly they're done).
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Do scallops need to be cooked all the way through?
Scallops need little cooking, only enough to make the translucent meat opaque. Though they may be large, sea scallops still cook quickly, so keep a close eye on them. Be careful, overcooking them can ruin the texture.How do you not overcook scallops?
Because scallops are so lean, cooking scallops requires some fat such as oil or butter during the process. Cook them quickly. Scallops are a lean protein source and should be cooked quickly at relatively high heat to prevent them from drying out.How do you know if scallops are cooked enough?
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Answer 2
How big are the scallops? If they're the really fat ones, then cooking them all the way through on top of the stove might be hard. Sear them on both sides in a pan, then stick the pan in a hot oven for a couple minutes.
Answer 3
My question was answered about letting my scallops warm up a little at room temperature. But searing scallops all the way through makes them tough as shoe leather.
First of all, I pat my scallops as dry as possible before putting in the skillet. What I do is sear my scallops until a nice brown occur on one side, not moving them around. And then flip them over not moving them around until the other side has a nice brown crust. But, you can't go by such a restrictive time as 90 minutes either, depending on the thickness of the scallop and the temperature of the skillet. I use oil in a non-stick skillet and non-stick spray in a regular skillet.
When I get done with my scallops, they are raw in the middle but verily warm. But I love them cooked this way. And it is a bit tricky so it is important to sear these on high heat preferably in a heavy skillet.
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