Scallops, bacon/cream foam and winter truffles

I made this for dinner last night.

First time I'd cooked scallops actually. I didn't get the best sear on them and I think it was because I salted them a bit too soon and they leaked a lot of water when they hit the pan. Pan was smoking hot but they ended up steaming more than I wanted and I was more afraid of overcooking them than having a bit less browning. I was thinking about using a brine next time so they are well seasoned but I can more easily get rid of excess moisture right before they cook without worrying about taking off the salt.

Foam was just heavy cream with the addition of bacon fat and salt. It's hard to see in the picture but it's beneath each scallop. It felt flat a bit quicker than I expected but was still really tasty. Next time I'll probably try using a bit of xanthan gum to thicken it and see if it will hold a bit better.

I was still pretty happy with my plating as that's something I'm working on. Overall I'm happy with this being the first time I made scallops at home.

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Comments

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

Matthew, it sounds like they may not have been dry pack scallops. Lots of scallops (most) today are treated with a water/preservative injection which can add as much as 25% water to the scallop. As you have seen they tend to steam rather than sear. When I get stuck with the treated ones i let them dry on a rack in the fridge (trust me they will still be moist in the middle). Just before searing pat them dry and dust the side you will be searing with a little sugar and flour (LIGHTLY) and then sear. You get a quick brown crust with out having to overcook the scallop to get the taste and color. The sugar will caramelize and the flour gets some of the moisture.

They look awesome and that is some serious truffle action ...

mcwilson07

That makes sense, I didn't do my research well enough. It still ended up being delicious and they were moist and tender inside which I think is the most important thing. It's hard to go wrong with truffle + scallop + cream.

I bought the black truffle as a gift to my girlfriend recently and we've been trying various recipes on how to use it. Never cooked with real truffle before and it's been fun for both of us.

Jack_Mayer_85396

I've successfully used a light dusting of Wondra flour on wet pack scallops (after drying as well as possible).