Scrumptious Sea Scallops On The Stove Top

Perfectly cooked sea scallops are a thing of beauty, but it burns me up to pay sky high restaurant prices for 3 of them.. They are so easy to make at home, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t learn how to cook sea scallops on the stove top. They make an elegant meal that you can enjoy preparing as well as eating.

Baked Stuffed Potato

I decided that a hearty side of baked stuffed potato was desirable alongside such a light protein, but scallops are so versatile that they pair well with any number of things.

I have never been a huge fan of plain baked potatoes, but mixing something tasty in there makes a world of difference. Simply bake your scrubbed potatoes for an hour. Then cut off the tops and scoop out the insides, leaving about a quarter inch of potato around the edges so they keep their shape. Mash the scooped out insides in a bowl and mix in whatever you think would elevate them. In this case, I had a little cream cheese to use up, so I mixed that in before returning the mixture to their skins. Topped with a touch of grated cheddar and a tiny bit of butter. Baked another half an hour, during which I roasted the carrots with a little bit of chopped fennel tops.

How Long to Cook Sea Scallops

Scallops cook very quickly, so do them once everything else you’re serving is ready. Make sure you dry them well or you won’t get any color on them. While heating up my skillet on the stove, I put my scallops into a bowl and coated them with a little oil. You can season them with all kinds of spices. I opted simply for salt and a little garlic powder here. Once your skillet is hot, put the scallops in one by one to sear. Turn them over once you see they are getting brown and they release easily from the pan. They only take a minute or two on each side. That’s it. Tender and juicy and so delicious!

After removing the scallops, I put a little white wine into the skillet and scraped up some of the brown goodness to cook a little something extra to drizzle onto the carrots.

About Flavors

Because everything on this plate is basically sweet, I decided to put my scallops on top of a bed of wilted dandelion greens. I enjoy a little bitter component in there to keep things interesting. Not everyone is a fan of these bitter greens however. If you’ve never tried them or want to introduce them gradually, I would suggest starting with a little bit mixed into a salad with other greens.

I have been inspired by my friend, Josephine, who has taught her children healthy eating habits from day one. How did she do it? She pureed her own fresh food for them as babies and got them used to all kinds of flavors that way. Did you know you could puree salmon for a baby? As children get older, they may say they don’t like a certain vegetable. Does that mean you should stop serving it? Jo says no. She puts it on the table and is often surprised when the kids reach for it again. Just because they didn’t like it once doesn’t mean they will always dislike it. There’s a lesson here for adults too, I think…You can learn how to eat more vegetables even when you don’t like them.

Ready for another restaurant quality seafood dish prepared quickly on the stove top? Please read Calamari and Pasta next.