My husband LOVES Scallops, I mean Loves! Almost to the point of obsession. We used to eat at this place called 220 Seafood in Winchester, VA. and he said they had the best AuGratin Scallops. He has been begging me for years to make scallops. I have never made them before in my entire life. I personally don't like scallops. I don't like the texture at all. So the thought of making them, makes me kind of sick. But I have been thinking about making him some, since we are land locked and finding a place that makes them to his tastes is hard, let alone expensive. So I saw some frozen scallops on sale at the grocery store when I went two weeks ago. I decided that I would make some scallops for my sweetheart for Valentines day. I was going to try to make Au Gratin Scallops, but on Valentines day I got worn out before dinner and we ended up eating a white bean chili instead (cooked in the crock pot all day). I also have been getting over a cold, so my energy level has been lacking. So adding a special meal after I put together the crock pot dinner for the rest of the family, just couldn't be done. So, today I felt a little better and didn't do much else today except study for my math final which is this week. So I had energy to make two different meals. (something I don't usually do for my family). My kids had Taco's and he asked very nicely if he could have scallops. So, Me being such a GREAT wife. I looked up a few recipes online on how to make scallops since I've never made them before. I checked out a few recipes on Allrecipes.com. I felt pretty well armed on how to cook some yummy scallops for my sweetheart! Here is what I did...
Ingredients:
Sea Scallops
1 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup or less half and half
2 pinches sea salt
8 twists of the pepper grinder
1/2 stick butter
4 Tbsp olive oil
16 oz sea scallops
Creamy White Wine Sauce
1/2 stick of butter
3 Tbsp All Purpose flour
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup cooking white wine
1 cup milk
2 tsp sea salt
2-3 twists of the pepper grinder
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Scallops:
The first thing your going to want to do is to get your scallops ready. In a small bowl blend the egg and the half and half, mix til creamy and light colored. In another small bowl add the italian bread crumbs, salt and pepper, using a fork mix. Pat dry the scallops with a paper towel. Then dip the scallop in the egg, and then roll in the bread crumbs, then place on a plate, not stacking. Do the entire batch of scallops. Set aside.
Cream sauce:
When you add the butter, add in the garlic (this will add a garlic flavor to the rue). Once the butter is melted and bubbly, make a rue adding the flour. Leaving the garlic in with the flour and butter. Cook the rue a little til a light nutty color to help cook out the flour taste. Then slowly add in the half and half, stirring constantly. Then let thicken still stirring constantly, this will take 1-2 minutes over medium-high. Then pour in the wine, parmesan, salt and pepper. and stir. Add milk if too thick, to thin to the consistency you want. Either remove from heat or, simmer on low.
In a skillet, add part of the butter and olive oil in the pan. When it bubbles and gets foamy, add the prepped scallops to the pan, Remember not to crowd the pan. Let cook 2-3 minutes per side. This will brown the coating and make it crisp. Not Burnt. If it is getting burnt either turn the heat down or you need to lessen the time your cooking per side. You can cook the scallops in batches. I think I ended up with 4 batches. Serve hot, and with the creamy white wine sauce.
Verdict!!!
I even ate these! Let me tell you... MMMM so good. They didn't taste fishy or funky. (which is my usual sentiment). My husband said it was Very Delicious! Do you know how amazing that feels. Making something the first time and it tasting very delicious, so good that even you'll eat it even if you don't usually eat it. I say that's a huge win. I made a rice pilaf to eat with this. It would have even been good with whole wheat pasta. The sauce is very rich and tasty, I think my husband enjoyed eating the cream sauce plain... I shared some of the scallops with my middle son. He LOVED them! This is a WINNER! This does not change my opinion of scallops, but if I ever make these again. This is what I'm going to make.
