Scallops

8 cremini mushrooms, cut in half and thickly sliced
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 TB butter
1 package Rice-a-roni or Uncle Ben’s long grain andwild rice mix
1 2/3 cup water
16 sautéed Day Boat scallops
chive sprigs
lemon wedges

Sauté the sliced mushrooms and shallots in the butter, add the wild rice mix and cook according to package directions. Divide the rice among 4 plates, top with the scallops, garnish with 3 or 4 long chive sprigs and a large lemon wedge per plate

Scallops on a Creamed Spinach Bed
Serves four

2 TB unsalted butter
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in strips 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz. fresh spinach, tougher stems removed
1/3 dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TB grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped Italian parsley or chives for garnish
1 lemon, quartered and white vein removed
16 sautéed Day Boat scallops

Sauté shallots, red pepper and garlic in the butter. Add wine, the spinach and salt and pepper and cover and cook until just wilted. Add cream, grated cheese and nutmeg and quickly reduce the sauce by half or until of proper consistency. Divide among four plates, top with the cooked scallops and garnish with parsley or chives and a lemon wedge.

N.B. Dry pack day boat scallops are available at Phil’s Fish Market in Moss Landing (call first), the Ferry Building fishmonger in SF and at Hai Thanh Supermarket, 955 McLaughlin Ave in San Jose.

When cleaning the scallops, if you notice a much smaller muscle piece running parallel to the meat, remove it. That is the abductor muscle that opens the shell and it has a rubbery texture when cooked.


	Scallops
Two types of scallops are available: bay, which are smaller and said to be sweeter, but generally unavailable unless frozen or chemically treated and the chef’s favorite, the “day boat” sea scallop which can come as large as 10 to the pound and may be available fresh and untreated. “Day boat” means that the scallops reach the wholesaler the same day they are harvested. The way that harvested scallop meat is treated makes a huge difference in the final taste. When scallops are harvested, they don’t snap shut like oysters and clams and therefore begin to lose moisture (and thereby weight) rapidly. Scallops are usually shucked on the boat as they are caught and one way to prevent moisture loss is to bathe the meat in a sodium or potassium tripolyphosphate bath. Depending on the strength of this salt bath, the scallops can actually gain weight, which translates into dollars at the dock. Unfortunately, this salt bath seriously affects the taste of the product and lately processors have made a distinction in the product by labeling scallops either “wet” pack (tripolyphosphate treated) or “dry” pack which has not been chemically treated. Wet pack scallops will bleach out to a pearly white and are less prone to spoilage and are cheaper but they should be cheaper because the consumer is essentially paying for water. Wet pack can have a bitter, chemical taste and when they hit a hot skillet, they will exude the moisture and stew instead of sauté. If you buy scallops at a supermarket, you are almost surely buying wet pack. If you soak the meat in plain water for at least half an hour, you can eliminate some of the salt and if you dry the meat thoroughly and use a very hot skillet, you can still get a sear, but the taste won’t be as wonderful as an untreated product. If wet pack is all you can get, feel free to use them in a sauced preparation: drown them in mornay sauce (Coquilles St. Jacques), curry the crap out of them, or batter and deep fry and don’t skimp on the tartar sauce and lemon juice. If you can find a source of supply for “dry” pack scallops, treat them reverently and simply. Dry packs will be a pearly tan to light pink color, have a sticky feel and a clean, fresh ocean smell. The only way I cook them is naked, salt and peppered and quickly seared in a very hot skillet in a mixture of half olive oil to half unsalted butter. Cook them the day of purchase and don’t overcook them. Even the largest scallop should only be sautéed for 3 to 4 minutes total on both sides and will have a little spring when the top side is touched. While you wouldn’t want to coat the dry packs with an exotic spice or heavy sauce, you can get creative with the bed of ingredients that you serve them on. One of my favorite preparations is the simplest recipe you will ever read in this column: When oyster and clam larvae stop drifting with the tide and settle on a firm spot in which to grow, they had better like the neighborhood because that spot is where they will spend their entire lives. Scallops are mobile and swim about by snapping their shells together and move around backwards on this hydraulic gush. The adductor muscle that develops to propel them around is that marshmallow shaped disc that is, when properly treated and prepared, is one of the tastiest morsels ever. Sue Kleber			Scallops with Wild rice and Mushrooms Serves four. 8 cremini mushrooms, cut in half and thickly sliced 1/4 cup minced shallot 2 TB butter 1 package Rice-a-roni or Uncle Ben’s long grain andwild rice mix 1 2/3 cup water 16 sautéed Day Boat scallops chive sprigs lemon wedges Sauté the sliced mushrooms and shallots in the butter, add the wild rice mix and cook according to package directions. Divide the rice among 4 plates, top with the scallops, garnish with 3 or 4 long chive sprigs and a large lemon wedge per plate Scallops on a Creamed Spinach Bed Serves four 2 TB unsalted butter 1/4 cup shallots, minced 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in strips 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide 1 clove garlic, minced 8 oz. fresh spinach, tougher stems removed 1/3 dry white wine 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 TB grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste Chopped Italian parsley or chives for garnish 1 lemon, quartered and white vein removed 16 sautéed Day Boat scallops Sauté shallots, red pepper and garlic in the butter. Add wine, the spinach and salt and pepper and cover and cook until just wilted. Add cream, grated cheese and nutmeg and quickly reduce the sauce by half or until of proper consistency. Divide among four plates, top with the cooked scallops and garnish with parsley or chives and a lemon wedge. N.B. Dry pack day boat scallops are available at Phil’s Fish Market in Moss Landing (call first), the Ferry Building fishmonger in SF and at Hai Thanh Supermarket, 955 McLaughlin Ave in San Jose. When cleaning the scallops, if you notice a much smaller muscle piece running parallel to the meat, remove it. That is the abductor muscle that opens the shell and it has a rubbery texture when cooked.
		Courtesy of: Real Estate & Living www.somocorealestate.com