The One Step To Never Skip With Scallops

Well-seared, tender, and slightly oceanic scallops are things of beauty. It's no wonder they regularly feature in tempting food photography gracing everything from cookbooks to restaurant imagery. As appealing as scallops are, they can also be a bit too briny. Kory Foltz, director of culinary at Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor, Florida, exclusively spoke to Chowhound about a simple technique that primes your scallops for optimum taste and texture every time.

"Soaking scallops in milk for a bit can mellow out any fishy smell and help tenderize them slightly." He suggests a quick 30 minute bath and, most importantly, that you "pat them dry well before cooking." Foltz adds, "Moisture is the enemy of a good sear, and you want those scallops to caramelize, not steam." From a chemical perspective, the milk technique works because it contains proteins that attach to and remove the compounds in scallops that give them the dreaded fishy smell. A milk soak ultimately reduces any unpleasant odor or taste. This same approach works well with many varieties of seafood, including crab, salmon, and cod.

Kory Foltz also emphasized the importance of choosing the best dry-packed scallops possible, a move that's as important to the scallop equation as preparation. When shopping for scallops, look for ones that are firm, clear, and don't have much smell. Avoid wet-packed scallops, which are brined and contain added chemicals to preserve them and keep them looking plump in the packaging, but release a lot of that moisture during cooking. Bottom line, it's a fool's errand to try to get a good sear on wet-packed scallops. Foltz reiterated this: "Honestly, the key is buying good scallops from a reliable source."

Buying frozen dry-packed scallops is not necessarily a bad thing; just make sure you avoid common scallop-cooking mistakes, such as thawing them under hot water or in the microwave instead of slowly in the refrigerator, which can ruin the texture and start the already delicate cooking process. Whether your scallops are destined for a sear in a hot cast iron pan (one to two minutes per side is all it takes) or skewered up and headed for the grill, a milk soak starts you off on the right foot.