Probably among all bivalve mollusks, it is the scallop that has the most attractive shell. The shell resembles a woman’s fan — ribbed and scalloped around the edges. The meat is creamy white and orange in parts because of the algae the mollusks consume. Sea scallops are larger than bay scallops. The ones I baked for lunch today are sea scallops which I bought frozen with the empty half shell already discarded. It was just really a matter of thawing and seasoning the scallops and baking them.
Because scallops have a natural sweetish flavor, I didn’t want to overpower them with a heavy sauce. I started by sprinkling them with a little salt and pepper. Then I mixed together some olive oil, chopped basil leaves, garlic and onions. I placed a teaspoonful of the mixture on each scallop then baked them in a moderately hot oven for about two minutes — just long enough until they turned opaque. Scallops cook fast and the meat toughens when overcooked. So, two minutes in a preheated oven was just about right.
I served my baked scallops with a chicken, gizzard and upo (bottle gourd) soup which I will post in a bit.
Scallops are a beautiful delicately flavoured meat, and require the shortest of cooking times. Overcooking makes the meat tough, and results in loss of flavour.
You will need about 4-5 scallops per person, depending on the size, and which course you are cooking.
In this simple lesson, we will learn how to cook scallops that are pan-fried.
Make sure that before you start, you dry the scallops on a piece of kitchen paper, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
Scallops must be thoroughly dry when they go into the pan.
You will need to coat a heavy based pan (I use prefer to use a 12" pre-seasoned skillet to get the perfect result) with vegetable oil, and leave for a few minutes to get hot. The hotter the better, you want the scallops to caramelised nicely - not stew in their own juices.
Once the pan is hot you can pop the scallops in, they don't need long, depending on size. Roughly about a minute on each side. (they are cooked through when they are no longer translucent)
After you have turned them over, pop a generous sized knob of butter into the pan, and allow to brown slightly. Finish the scallops off by coating them in the butter towards the end of cooking.
Spoon out onto a piece of kitchen paper. You are ready to serve.
How To Cook Scallops - Grilled
In this simple lesson, we will learn how to cook scallops that are grilled.
Start by preheating the grill to a high temperature.
Once the scallops are prepared and dried and seasoned, remove the grill tray and coat the rack with oil so that the scallops don't stick to it.
It is always better to brush your scallops with melted butter before hand, this helps to keep them moist during cooking.
They take roughly a couple of minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Once again this depends on their size.
Once cooked, more of the melted butter can be brushed on for flavour.
How To Cook Scallops - Poached
In this simple lesson, we will learn how to cook scallops that are poached.
Once the scallops are prepared, dried, and seasoned they are ready to be poached. They can be poached in stock or wine.
You can do this by bringing the liquid to the boil in a skillet, and simmering the single layer of scallops for about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on size, over a moderate heat. They will need to be turned once.
After cooking they can be taken out and placed on a warm plate ready to be served.
I’ve never had Shrimp Newberg, so I would have no idea how it should taste. That’s pretty much how I cook. Find a recipe that sounds good, then take my chances. Keeps my life and cooking exciting. I have my share of failures, but this recipe is a success.
This lightened up version of Shrimp Newberg comes from Rachael Ray. I have to assume that a true Shrimp Newberg would be loaded with cream and lots of butter. I’m glad Rachael lightened it up for me.
What a terrific combination of bite-sized pieces of shrimp in a cream sherry sauce. Rachel’s recipe didn’t call for asparagus. I think my version is better. Gotta get those veggies in whenever I can. Besides asparagus is in season, and inexpensive. Don’t you think it adds wonderful color and crunch?
Don’t look too closely, I was out of brown rice, so I had to use white rice. Yikes! Time to stock the pantry again. I’m embarrassed to say, I enjoyed every bite. White rice is a treat in my house.Happy cooking!
Delightfully Light Shrimp Newberg
Serves 4
2 cups rice, cooked
3 tsp butter
1 ⅓ cups fat free milk
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, then cut into thirds
2 tsp cornstarch
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups asparagus, thin stalks cut into 2″ pieces
¼ cup sherry
salt and pepper
Heat large saucepan over medium heat. Add butter, onion and asparagus. Saute for 5 – 10 minutes until asparagus is crisp tender.
Add flour to saucepan and cook another minute.
Combine milk and cornstarch. Whisk until smooth and add to saucepan.
Cook until slightly thickened, then add sherry and shrimp. Cook another 3 minutes until shrimp is no longer translucent. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with rice.
What’s good for me in this dish?
Shrimp is low in fat, and higher in cholesterol; however, studies show that it can raise HDL and triglyceride levels. It has B12 for hearth health, omega-3 fatty acids for anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidants selenium, copper and zinc.
Asparagus tops the charts in vitamin K and folate. It’s also a good source of vitamins C and A. Folate is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system. Asparagus also contains potassium, making it a natural diuretic.
Devein shrimp, wash and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Add all seasoning and apply evenly to shrimp. No swishing around in a ziploc bag a la Food Network chefs please. Cover and let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Dredge each shrimp in rice flour or semolina so it's well coated. Shake off excess.
Heat your pan on medium-low heat. Drizzle oil all over (not too much, you don't want oily sea food). Place shrimp on pan so they don't touch each other. Fry for 3-4 minutes until they become crisp. Turn over and fry on the other side. Add a little more oil if necessary. Remove on absorbent paper when done.
I use my trusted cast iron griddle for frying. It gives me the same crispy, non oily texture that I grew up eating (everyone used cast iron in India until non stick picked up in the 80s). Cast iron retains heat better and distributes it evenly so you get great results every time. Besides the surface just gets better with use.
Other options for frying - silver and black pomfret, head or tail on shrimp, bombay duck, kingfish, mackerel etc.
Cooking Fresh Shrimp... Rule #1 ! Don't Over Cook Them.
Shrimp is one of the easiest shellfish to cook. They can be cooked in an number of different ways and adapt well to many shrimp recipes.
The second rule in cooking fresh shrimp is to start with a high quality shrimp, one that is full of flavor, firm and sweet.
I prefer to always buy raw gulf shrimp in the shell for any way I plan on cooking shrimp. They are less processed and result in a better flavor. Shrimp are very easy to peel and devein.
An already peeled and deveined shrimp looses a lot of it's flavor when they are processed.
The same goes for cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, to me there is just not as much flavor as a shell on shrimp.
So to have great shrimp, know what kind of shrimp you are buying, buy them in the shell, peel your own and get cooking.
FRESH-COOKED SHRIMP
6 c. water
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. mixed pickling spices
2 stalks of celery
2 lbs. fresh or frozen shrimp in shells
Combine water, salt, vinegar, bay leaves, spices and celery; bring to boiling.
Add shrimp (in shells, or peeled and cleaned). Cover; heat to boiling, then lower heat and simmer gently until shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Drain. If cooked in shell, peel shrimp; remove vein that runs down back. For appetizer, chill; pass Cocktail Sauce. Makes 4 or 5 servings.
COCKTAIL SAUCE:
3/4 c. chili sauce
2 to 4 tbsp. lemon juice
2 to 3 tbsp. horseradish
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. grated onion
Few drops Tabasco sauce
Combine ingredients; add salt to taste. Chill. Serve with shrimp. Makes 1 cup.
Along with hot dogs, hamburgers and steak, shrimp is among the most popular foods to grill. Grilling shrimp is fairly simple and takes only a few minutes. However, it is important to properly prepare your shrimp for the grill by peeling and de-veining them. Because shrimp are so narrow, it is also important to thread each shrimp onto a skewer to prevent them from falling through the grate. Finally, the correct cooking temperature and time are both vital to ensuring that your shrimp are thoroughly cooked, yet not dried out.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
Paring knife
Two-pronged skewers
Unsalted butter
Peeling and De-veining
Step 1
Grasp the portion of the shell just above the tail from the top of your shrimp, then pull the shell away from the tail to separate the shell from the tail.
Step 2
Peel the shell off the top of your shrimp and the legs off the bottom.
Step 3
Cut a shallow slit along the top of your shrimp with a sharp paring knife to expose the vein, then pull the vein with your fingers.
Cooking
Step 1
Prepare the grill for direct medium heat (350 and 450 degrees F), so the shrimp will be cooked directly over the grill's flame rather than to the side of the heat source. If you are using a charcoal grill, spread the coals evenly across the coal grate.
Step 2
Insert two-pronged skewers through your shrimp. Two-pronged skewers reduce the chance of the shrimp falling through the grates of your grill, and also hold your shrimp steady when it is turned, keeping it from spinning.
Step 3
Place one side of the shrimp onto the grill, directly over the medium heat, then let the shrimp cook for two to three minute.
Step 4
Flip the shrimp over so that the opposite side rests against the grill, and cook the shrimp an additional two to three minutes.
Step 5
Remove the shrimp from the grill and lightly baste both sides of the shrimp with melted, unsalted butter.
