I had a craving for scallops and wanted to indulge a little, since I remain partially "sheltered" in place. The reason being, is because cooking is a way I practice self-care AND cooking at home saved me so much $ during COVID. I'm simply not in a rush to be "outside" at a restaurant, while my home cooked meals taste damn good.
Cooking scallops are often intimidating to many people, especially if you don't understand its needs. In order to get a really good sear on a scallop, it needs to be as dry as possible. I usually take fresh scallops and sandwich them between paper towels, on a paper plate to absorb all of the moisture. The more dry they are, the better the golden sear.
Instructions:
- Once scallops are super dry and are at room temperature, I remove the muscle and season with Himalayan Pink Salt + Black Peppercorn.
- On the stovetop, I get a cast iron skillet piping hot, near smoking, with olive oil. I begin searing the top part, which is the largest side of the scallop, for 2 minutes. Ensure that the scallops are not crowded in the pan, so that they may all cook evenly.
- I then flip the scallops over and add 3 tablespoons of butter, a sliced garlic clove, juice of a lemon, 3 fresh thyme stems and begin basting the top of the scallops with the butter. Do this for about 3 minutes, until the scallops are cooked to your liking. I prefer medium scallops.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
For the Mushroom Risotto, I used this Rice Select brand and follow a similar method, as Chef Theo Randall, except, I add white wine, shortly after the rice has fried for a bit.
Enjoy!