{thirsty thursday} – pan-seared sea scallops w/ an old-school abbey ale

did i mention how i got promoted?!

so, when something BIG happens, i like to celebrate with food. and since i can’t eat a dozen maryland blue crabs right now, i opted for other aquatic delicacies…

a huge pile of freshly steamed wild-caught pink shrimp, colorado sweet corn on the cob, and delicious pan-seared sea scallops.

i take a lot of pride in being able to make really really good scallops.  tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth amazing scallops!  i call them “meat marshmallows” — so delicious! i’m really missing both the accessibility and lower cost of seafood from living on the east coast… this meal wasn’t cheap. but hey, i just got promoted, and so i wanted to treat myself!  i deserve it!

if you’ve never tried to make your own scallops because you’re scared of screwing up, i’m here to take away that fear my friends.  it’s really very simple to cook them, just keep it like most things should be in life –

low and slow.

begin with 2 tablespoons of good butter.  not just something you spread on toast, you want to splurge a little.  i always opt for plugra.  it’s amazing and whenever i make my mashed potatoes with it, people freak out.  i just love it. i usually go for unsalted, and just add salt to the dish if needed.

heat butter on a low setting.  sprinkle scallops with a little S&P, then place in pan, cooking them on low to medium heat for about 7-8 minutes on one side.  shift the pan around so they do not stick… you’ll want the sides to brown a little, creating all those yummy juices.  flip them only once, like a good steak.  as they finish cooking on the second side, tilt your pan a little to gather and pour the drippings over the scallops, like so :

thanks to my roommate for posing for this image

continue to do this every-so-often as the second side finishes cooking, about another 7-8 minutes – you’ll see that the flesh slightly changes from pinkish to white.  the butter and salt combined with the sugars from the scallops create this wonderful sauce that you can almost cook the scallops in when you do this. it’s the secret to super moist, tender, sweet scallops. my roommate and i literally closed our eyes when we were eating them, it was a heavenly experience.

it polished off so nicely with this highly recommended abbey ale from st. bernardus, an apparently very old brewery in belgium.  it’s a specialty beer, and may not be easy to find, but SO worth it for any beer connoisseur… it was unlike any beer i’ve ever had. mild yet flavourful, hints of deep and rich caramel, finished very smooth with champagne like qualities in the yeast.  it really complimented the scallops perfectly!

Tags: abbey ale, beer, celebration, scallops, seafood, special meal, thirsty thursday