SteaMed with Garlic Butter
This used to be our favourite way to eat scallops, until we discovered the BBQ Scallops with a Maple Shallot Mignonette Sauce. Still, this is a quick, simple delcious way to serve swimming scallops.
Recipe
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Fill the bottom of a pot with a few inches of water and bing to a rolling boil.
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Place frozen scallops into the pot. Use a steamer basket if you have one.
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Steam until most of the scallops are open, approx 4 to 6 min. (or cook to your preferred texture).
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Remove scallops from pot and place into a bowel for serving.
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Drip your steamed scallop in garlic butter. You can also add some seasoning, like chilli power, to your butter to add some more flavour.
Tips:
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Cooking time varies with the amount of scallops your are cooking. Be careful not to over cook the scallops as they do get chewy. The best way to determine if they are done is by touching the white meat and cooking them to your preferred consistency. The meat will turn from translucent to white and will be firm to the touch when cooked fully. Remember that they are safe to eat raw. I personally like them best when they are just cooked and still soft to the touch. Play around with them and find out how you like them best. There always seems to be a few stubborn ones that won't open. Because our scallops are caught live, you can eat all the scallops, even if they don't open.
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If your doing a large pot, toss/stir the scallops to cook all of them evenly.
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If you're having issues separating the scallop from the shell, use the top half of the shell and scoop under the scallop (between the scallop and the shell).
Turn this into a party platter!!
This is a great way to bing them to a party. Steam them at home, put all the meat in the fridge and clean the shells so you can use them to serve on later. Food Safe regulations would recommend baking the shells as a kill step to ensure they are safe for serving on. At the party, serve them chilled on the half shell on a tray of ice. We love the Maple Shallot Mignonette sauce on this one.
** Be sure to keep them chilled or limit their time at room temperature to under 10 min. They develop a strong seafood flavour if left at room temperature for too long.
