Seared Scallops

I love Scott Simens with Whole Foods (first video). Scallops are one of Puddleglum's favorites. Here is a great way to prepare them. Remember Sea Scallops are larger than Bay Scallops, and the way to remember that is- a sea is bigger than a bay.

The second video is Ming Tsai showing a quick and easy way to sear scallops. I always learn something when I watch him, and I learned some new things from this video. It's a 2 min 22 sec video.

The third video is a "how to" video that I found for a basic scallop recipe. The last thirty three seconds are redundant, so it's really just a two minute video. If you want to try the saffron sauce (she mentions this at the end but then doesn't give a recipe for it), I included a recipe for an easy saffron sauce.

Seared Scallops with Blood Orange and Smoked Paprika Sauce


Simply Ming Tips- Pan searing scallops


Scallops


Saffron Sauce
1 French Shallot, finely, finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
A pinch of saffron (a "heavy" pinch if you can afford it)
Salt and Pepper

Put the shallots and the wine a saucepan and reduce by two-thirds. Add the cream and saffron, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a little dashi or fish stock. If you do, just cut the amount of wine and cream a little so your sauce won't be too thin.

I've seen recipes that have all kinds of extra ingredients like cornstarch, tarragon, fennel, star anise, etc, etc. Think Mark Bittman, and save yourself the time and money and just simplify. Plus all that other stuff just muddies up the flavor of the saffron, and saffron is so expensive in the US, you don't want to waste it. You can substitute onion for shallot, just you know- add about the amount of onion that would equal the size of a shallot. I dunno. Maybe 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup depending on the size of the onion. This may not sound culinary to some purists, but you could use a food chopper or blender on the shallot or onion to make the sauce a smoother one. I don't recommend substituting anything for good tasting white wine.