.Scallops: Information
Source of Recipe
fooddownunder.com
Buy scallops only from reliable suppliers. They should be freshly caught and have been stored on ice or in a fridge. They can be bought in the shell or shelled. If in the shell choose ones that are tightiy shut or that shut when lightly tapped. Avoid any with cracked shells.
* Keep scallops in their packaging in the fridge until ready to use so that they dont lose any moisture.
* The number of scallops you need for a recipe depends on their size; known as kings queens and princesses in descending order. They can be sliced in half for cooking. Two king scallops will serve one person as a starter but you will need four or five kings for a main course. You will need about 175g shelled queen scallops per person for a main course.
* If difficult to open place shells flat side down for a few seconds only on a hot hob or in a warm oven at 160C1325F/Gas Mark 3. They will then open very slightly enabling you to slide in the knife.
* Once cleaned the scallop has two edible parts: the central plump white muscle and the sofl orange coral roe. The coral is a delicacy and needs only a few seconds cooking to accompany the white meat or it can be mashed with a little butter and added to a sauce using the liquid from the shell (if clean and free of sand).
* As with any fish and shellfish the flesh becomes rubbery when overcooked so keep the cooking brief.
* Scallops are universally popular but since the demise of so many wet fishmongers you hardly ever come across them fresh in shops though you can get them frozen This rare harvest from the sea is the nearest one can safely call a restaurant delicacy. In better restaurants they come directly from Scodand where they are fished from great depths by divers. One of the tricks of the trade is to place the scallops in iced water to make them swell and firm up the flesh.
* There is some debate as to whether the roe or coral should be used. Since this part of the scallop is both the reproductive and digestive pan of the fish I never use it. It has a very intense fishy flavour and the cooking rime differs considerably from the flesh. If you cook the coral properly the scallop will be overcooked. And for me earing raw coral is unpleasant. In the USA the law requires that as soon as the scallops ate fished the coral is to be automatically discarded into the sea.
* roux
Soak in iced water for several hours before using; they will puff up and become firm. Before cooking the orange coloured corals prick them with a needle to prevent them from bursting during cooking.
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