Who eats sea scallops?

[Mary]

I'm following a fairly restricted diet and would like to branch out. I don't like salmon, but I have always liked scallops. I can get sea scallops at the store, but I don't know if they are the same as regular scallops.
Does anyone eat them on a regular basis? Any suggestions on how well done they need to be before eating?

 

[geebee]

Sea scallops are usually the ones that are about the diameter of a fifty cent piece (some even a bit larger). They are very tasty and moist as long as you don't overcook them. You want to cook them just until they turn opaque. They can even be the tiniest bit clear in the center because they will continue to cook once off the heat. Best to practice with one or two at a time until you get the hang of the cooking time. Then you won't ruin a batch.

You can prepare them any way you prepare shrimp, scampi style is really good with unsalted butter and lots of garlic. They are also good with hollandaise if you do not have an egg restriction.

Enjoy.

 

[Praline]

One of my favorite foods

One of my favorite foods

I love sea scallops. They have a lot less cholesteral than shrimp and crawfish. I have mostly eaten them in restaurants. When we go up to MA, we alsways go to a place that has the best baked scallops. Bay scallops are a bit sweeter, in my opinion. I love both.
As far as cooking them, why don't you do a google seach" recipe+baked scallops". I bet you come up with tons of ideas to cook them.

 

[Mary]

Thanks Gina and Praline,
I do have a recipe from the food network, but I wanted someone to reassure me that I would like eating them. I can be weird about food!

 

[Praline]

Here you go!! Take your pick.

Here you go!! Take your pick.

Here are tons of ways to cook scallops.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/scallops/

 

[Christina]

Sorry my friends but

Sorry my friends but

I feel the need to add the following to this thread. Take what you want and leave the rest.

I never eat shellfish and the reason is that it is unclean. They are the scavengers of the sea and not meant for human consumption. (My opinion) What that means is that they are bottom feeders, and what they feed on, I believe we should not put into our bodies.
My husband and I always get a chuckle out of the following, but it happens nearly every time when we go to a fine restaurant for dinner. The waiter comes over and says: "Hello, would you be interested in hearing about our special tonight? "Sure", we reply, knowing full well what he'll say next. The special tonight is Pork Tenderloin (unclean as well), stuffed with crab, ringed with scallops, and drizzled in a lobster sauce.
We nod our heads and I stifle a laugh, but in my mind, though, the waiter has just said: "The special tonight is fresh garbage, ringed with raw sewage and drizzled with solid waste".
Do I need say more.....
Just my opinion....

 

[Mary]

Hmmm,
You've given me something to mull over.

 

[tobagotwo]

I buy scallops directly off the boat in Chincoteague, VA in 40-lb commercial bags. We watch the horizon for the boats coming in. I batch them meal-size, and freeze them unwashed. They are incredibly tasty. Washing wrecks the flavor, but seafood stores do it because they soak up water like mad and weigh more.

The difference between sea scallops and bay scallops is the size. The big ones (sea scallops) have more flavor (again, if they're not washed), and a bit more texture.

I cook them in a little bit of macadamia nut oil, sometimes with butter buds. Often, I grate just a little cheddar cheese on them at the end, not to flavor them, but to bring out the sweetness.

Never salt seafood.

Best wishes,

 

[geebee]

No offense meant but, if I listened to every warning about foods, I wouldn't be able to eat anything. Vegetables have chemicals, beef = mad cow disease, poultry & avian flu, high cholesterol, high fat, don't eat carbs, water is polluted, everything causes cancer, etc., etc., etc.

I didn't go through 3 OHS to spend the rest of my life miserable worrying about what I eat. I try to eat sensibly but I don't agonize over things either.

 

[tobagotwo]

Pshaw, they ain't dirty...

I've eaten clams raw many times right while I'm clamming. Even razor clams, which are a hoot, because their pseudopods wiggle around in your mouth like a second tongue while you chew on 'em.

And I do taste them. I don't dump hot sauce on them and whuff them down without chewing so that they never touch my palate. They deserve the respect of being fully tasted and enjoyed.

The scallops we buy aren't like the clams we eat, because from scallops we only eat the muscle that closes the shell. The rest is tossed overboard as a feast for the fish and gulls.

Best wishes,

 

[RCB]

Well- what do you eat?

Well- what do you eat?

I feel the need to add the following to this thread. Take what you want and leave the rest.

I never eat shellfish and the reason is that it is unclean. They are the scavengers of the sea and not meant for human consumption. (My opinion) What that means is that they are bottom feeders, and what they feed on, I believe we should not put into our bodies.
My husband and I always get a chuckle out of the following, but it happens nearly every time when we go to a fine restaurant for dinner. The waiter comes over and says: "Hello, would you be interested in hearing about our special tonight? "Sure", we reply, knowing full well what he'll say next. The special tonight is Pork Tenderloin (unclean as well), stuffed with crab, ringed with scallops, and drizzled in a lobster sauce.
We nod our heads and I stifle a laugh, but in my mind, though, the waiter has just said: "The special tonight is fresh garbage, ringed with raw sewage and drizzled with solid waste".
Do I need say more.....
Just my opinion....

Other dead animals, how do you feel about fungus and root vegtables?
While we are at it, you don't want to know what goes on in restaurants.
Growing up on a farm and working with food you soon learn that food is best
eaten with a eye on the plate, not thinking about it's history!
BYTW- Have you ever noticed that once food is chewed for a couple of seconds, it becomes very unappetizing if it comes out of your mouth. I mean,
it's your mouth, why is it so disgusting?

 

[Phyllis]

Mary,
Here's a great recipe from the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station that I use a lot and love:


* Exported from MasterCook *

scallop broil


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 pounds bay or sea scallops
8 tb butter -- melted
1 clove garlic -- minced
1 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon paprika
8 sprigs fresh parsley
2 lemons -- cut in wedges

Preheat broiler for 10 minutes

Pat scalllops dry with a paper towel

Melt the butter with the garlic and swish around the bottom of a shallow baking dish.

Arrange the scallops in a single layer and season with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Mix flour and paprika and dust the scallops.

Pour the remaining garlic butter over all.

Broil 6 to 8 minutes and garnishg with parsley and lemon wedges.

 

[Ross]

Why yes and calamari, shrimp, fishies, and all, but I hate those darn Oysters. Have yet to try mussels!

 

[Christina L]

My eyes lit up when I read

My eyes lit up when I read

the recipe from The Oyster Bar at GCS!!! Scallops are my favorite seafood, the little "scavengers." Oh but I love oysters also (another bottom feeder) and being farmed in polluted gulf waters. Truly it is nasty to think about.

I understand what you are saying Christina and appreciate your concern and comments very much - you always have a lot of good things to stay about health and natural ways to improve our health.

However, I do agree with Gina. Life is just too short to worry about all this stuff. I have seen SO many people who were like vegetarians and exercised, etc., who dropped over at a young age or got cancer and others (like my Grandma who lived a VERY good life until she was 95) who loved her hot dogs and collard greens with bacon fat!! However, Grandma ate a lot of fresh vegetables from the garden and just an overall variety of foods - she never OVER ate and her stress level was low - she knew how to handle stress well which I believe is the #1 thing we should be worried about as far as our health is concerned.

Anyway, I sure love my scallops. Gina is right - don't overcook them or they get rubbery.

Grand Central Station - the Oyster Bar - I want to go there again soon!

Christina L

 

[Christina L]

Well, Ross, you know what

Well, Ross, you know what

oysters are good for, don't you.

You should try them!!!

Christina L

 

[Ross]

oysters are good for, don't you.

You should try them!!!

Christina L

I have. I hate them.

 

[MikeHeim]

I feel the need to add the following to this thread. Take what you want and leave the rest.

I never eat shellfish and the reason is that it is unclean. They are the scavengers of the sea and not meant for human consumption. (My opinion) What that means is that they are bottom feeders, and what they feed on, I believe we should not put into our bodies.
My husband and I always get a chuckle out of the following, but it happens nearly every time when we go to a fine restaurant for dinner. The waiter comes over and says: "Hello, would you be interested in hearing about our special tonight? "Sure", we reply, knowing full well what he'll say next. The special tonight is Pork Tenderloin (unclean as well), stuffed with crab, ringed with scallops, and drizzled in a lobster sauce.
We nod our heads and I stifle a laugh, but in my mind, though, the waiter has just said: "The special tonight is fresh garbage, ringed with raw sewage and drizzled with solid waste".
Do I need say more.....
Just my opinion....

Um, if you think shellfish and pigs are the only unclean animals, I suggest you spend a little bit more time on a farm. I have several relatives who farm in Wisconsin, and if you saw how cows and chickens live (and especially what they eat), you would probably stop eating them as well. Also, last I checked, farmers spread MANURE all over their fields as fertilizer prior to planting corn, wheat, etc. I guess that rules out vegetables for you as well. No offense, but this is one of the ridiculous things I have ever read.

 

[Nancy]

Scallops are one of my favorite sea foods.

Buy some low sodium 4C bread crumbs, dry off the scallops well, pat the bread crumbs tightly into the scallops, and sautee them in no salt butter. You could add garlic powder or fresh garlic as they are sauteeing. Then serve them with lemon wedges, a little paprika and some parsley.

For a nice side dish, how about some rice and wild rice mixture, and some red peppers fried up in extra virgin olive oil until they are blackened on the skin area and have softened.

And also a small salad with spring mix greens and grape tomatoes and purple onion rings. Make yourself a nice low sodium dressing or better yet try Drew's All Natural Romano Caesar or Roasted Garlic dressings. I found them in the health food section of the market. They are relatively low sodium. You don't use much anyway, and they taste great.

 

[Mary]

Everyone has been so helpful! Thank you for all the tips and suggestions on ways of eating them. I still have one more question though.
I can buy the scallops at Sam's, but they're frozen. Do I let them defrost, or can I cook them frozen and extend the length of cooking?

Nancy, you know I'm looking for low, no-salt everything. Can I eat artichoke hearts? I love them in salads, but everywhere I've looked, they've got a ton of salt. I've eaten so many salads lately, that I've had to give my digestive tract a rest from them.

 

[geebee]

Everyone has been so helpful! Thank you for all the tips and suggestions on ways of eating them. I still have one more question though.
I can buy the scallops at Sam's, but they're frozen. Do I let them defrost, or can I cook them frozen and extend the length of cooking?

Nancy, you know I'm looking for low, no-salt everything. Can I eat artichoke hearts? I love them in salads, but everywhere I've looked, they've got a ton of salt. I've eaten so many salads lately, that I've had to give my digestive tract a rest from them.

Mary,
You are better letting them thaw in the fridge overnight. Trying to cook them frozen will not give you the control over their cooking time that you need. If you need to thaw them quickly you could run cold water over them but they will absorb some of the water and that could make them a little mushy.
Of course fresh is always best but a lot of stores sell thawed, frozen scallops as fresh so you have to be careful.