Cape Cod Sea Scallops Recipes

Cape Cod Scallops Recipes

A true local gem, our big, sweet and luscious Cape Cod Sea Scallops are as close to a perfect food as you can get. Delicious, healthy, sustainable and responsibly harvested, our native Sea Scallops are available year-round. A versatile ingredient, scallops can be enjoyed as a stand-alone dish or added to tacos, burritos, sushi, pasta or salads. And scallops taste great any way you prepare them – seared with butter or olive oil, marinated and grilled, broiled, smoked or fried.

Healthy: Protein rich and low fat, scallops are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and vitamin B-12.

How to pick the perfect scallops: Fresh scallops smell sweet and briny and are firm to the touch. The color is a creamy off-white or pink (although its ok if they have a rosy-orange hue – that just means they were getting close to spawning.)

What about the foot? Pick up a scallop from the fish market and you’ll notice a rubbery little rectangle attached to one side. That fibrous “foot” allows the scallop to open and close its shell, move through the water or root on the ocean floor. Although edible, it can be tough and chewy, and most people prefer to peel it off it before cooking.

Recipes: Here are two amazingly delicious and easy sea scallop recipes: Seared Sea Scallops with TIPS for achieving the perfect golden crust, and Smoked Scallops with a Dill Crème Fraiche Sauce

Seared Sea Scallops with a Perfect Golden Crust

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. Sea Scallops
2 tbsp. avocado or other high smoke point oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
A few pinches of kosher or sea salt
A wedge of lemon (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. See “Tips” for the best type of skillet to use.
Remove the side muscle and rinse. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. This is a very important step! See “Tips” below. Lightly season with kosher or sea salt.
Place scallops in the pan (they should not be touching) and cook for 2 – 3 minutes on side one. Do not move the scallops around the pan while they sear. Flip with tongs and repeat on side two until the center of the scallops are just opaque, about another 2 minutes.
Take off the heat and add butter. Spoon the melted butter over the scallops. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

Tips:

If you want that savory, golden crust on your scallops, skip the non-stick pan. Using a cast iron, stainless steel or copper skillet allows the scallops to stick to the pan, triggering the Maillard reaction – producing the browned, crackling, complex-flavored crust that you love.
Moisture creates steam, which is the enemy of a golden sear. That’s why it’s so important to pat scallops dry to remove any water from the surface before they hit the pan.

Smoked Scallops with Dill Crème Fraiche

Serves 6

Ingredients to Brine the Scallops:

½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh dill
1 quart water
½ cup kosher or sea salt
Take 1 lb. of sea scallops (10 – 12 count size) and remove the foot (the small tough muscle on the outside edge of the scallop).
Mix the brine and soak the scallops in the brine for about 1 hour.
Remove scallops from the brine and pat dry. Allow the scallops to air dry in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (overnight is fine too).

Smoke the Scallops:

Place a heavy pan on the stove and cover the bottom with hardwood chips, preferably Applewood, which gives the smoked scallops a sweet finish. You can pre-soak a few of the chips or add them to the pan dry.
Lightly sprinkle brown sugar on the scallops and position them on a perforated pan. Set the perforated pan on top of the skillet containing the wood chips. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and smoke the scallops on low heat for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the scallops from the pan and let them cool.

Make the Dill Crème Fraiche:

Chop 1 tablespoon of fresh dill and mix with 1/2 cup of crème fraiche and a squeeze of lemon.

Plate:

Put a generous dollop of the dill crème fraiche on a plate. Place 2 or 3 scallops on the crème fraiche mixture. Garnish with lemon zest.

About Our Partner Mac's Seafood

As the founder of Mac’s Seafood on Cape Cod, Mac has made it his life’s work to source and serve fresh, high-quality seafood in his restaurants and markets every season of the year - so you know the scallops, swordfish, littlenecks, and oysters on your plate didn’t travel far to get there.

“You can count on us to know where your fish comes from,” says Mac. That’s our commitment. That’s why we do what we do every day. In fact, the Wellfleet Oysters I use in this stuffing are farmed by local shellfishermen right down the street from my house. So give this recipe a try, you’ll make the seafood lovers around your Thanksgiving table VERY happy.”