How to prepare scallops: several basic recipes

Many of us have seen and even have beads from beautiful convex shells. But very few people know that these shells belong to mollusks, which are called scallops. Their meat is very appreciated by gourmets. Until recently, their global population was on the verge of extinction because of the rapid spread in the 90s of the twentieth century of the brown alga - a natural enemy of the mollusk. However, now the number of scallops is restored. Those shellfishes that are sold in stores are grown on special farms. Specialists say that the "domesticated" seafood meat is sweeter and more tender than those that were caught in the ocean. On how to prepare scallops, read in this article.

These seafoods are sold cleaned, in vacuum packages of shock freezing. Therefore, they must first be brought to room temperature. Do not put them in the microwave to the "Defrost" mode. Let the process be longer, but the product will not lose its taste qualities. Put the bag in cold water for about 40 minutes. But keep the scallops at room temperature for too long, too, should not - the mollusks will become watery. In short, while seafood is being thawed, you have time to think about how to prepare scallops.

Some gourmets love to eat these shellfish raw. Seafood extracted from seashells is slightly salted, peppered and sprinkled with olive oil. And to make the taste even more tender, they are pre-marinated. How to do this ? How to cook scallops in marinade? As easy as pie! In olive oil, add balsamic vinegar, salt and spices (thyme, basil, rosemary, pepper, dill). In such a "bath" slices cut into thin slices should swim for at least an hour.

Now let us consider various ways of thermal processing of these seafood. They are boiled in slightly salted water for a very short time, literally three to four minutes. Finished scallops, photos of which you see, should lose transparency and gelatinity. Often boiled seafood is used as an ingredient for salads or sushi. If you have a whole pack of them, you can cook from them and the main course - for example, put out. Fry the finely chopped onion until golden, add a spoonful of tomato paste. In a frying pan with high edges or in a saucepan, place scallops on the onions, pour water with aromatic herbs and spices, stew under the lid until ready. Garnish with mashed potatoes.

How to cook scallops ? To do this, the raw scallops must be thoroughly smeared with lean oil so that they do not dry out and turn out juicy. It is also necessary to lubricate the grill with oil and grill so that the clams do not stick to it. In a frying pan, they are generally easier to prepare: put them in a warmed vegetable oil so that they do not touch each other. Fry two minutes on each side will be enough, even if the middle of the shellfish remains slightly "glass".

But if we plan to use these seafood in other hot dishes - soups, paella, risotto - how to cook scallops in this case? After all, there is some complexity: rice and vegetables are cooked for a long time, while mollusks are 2-3 minutes long. And the longer the seafood cook, the more "rubber" they become. Therefore, they should be added to the main course only five minutes before it is ready. Also it is necessary to take into account the fact that reheated scallops completely lose their valuable sweetness.