Scallops with Pesto Cream Sauce! The key to this dish is pan frying the scallops perfectly, which is easy to do, once you learn a few quick things. The first is to buy the correct scallops. Make sure you go to a place that has great seafood. In the area, I go to Philbricks Fresh Market. When buying scallops, make sure to get “Dry” scallops, this means they are not injected with water. If you use injected scallops, the water comes out while cooking and the food will boil – and you won’t get that nice crisp brown when you are searing them. Heat the pan up until it is very hot (don’t use a coated pan), add a little olive oil and gently place the scallops in the pan. Be patient… The browning creates a new flavor through caramelization called the Maillard reaction (which is the chemical reaction that gives browned foods their desirable flavor). When cooking scallops and shrimp, make sure not to overcook them. I take them off the heat when they are medium rare in the middle. They will continue to cook while they are out of the pan. When you are making the pesto cream sauce, use the same pan that the scallops and shrimp were cooked in (don’t wash it!), this will add a great flavor to the sauce. Good luck searing scallops!
Matt Becker Portsmouth, NH
Live from Matt’s House
Matt Becker Portsmouth, NH
just had dinner and open your site. looked at your latest dinner. wow, must have been super. Far better my great meal-chef boyardee mini ravioli with apple sauce.