seared sea scallops

in the kitchen
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i love scallops, and they are a premium at nice restaurants. after a couple unsuccessful attempts at searing them at home, i was determined this time to get it right. the problem is that i start sauteeing them in the pan, and they either are too wet and don't really sear, or the oil/butter keeps them from really sticking to the pan and searing, and by the time that evaporates, they are cooked. they're best crunchy on the outside and soft, slightly raw on the inside, like a burger (which for me is best rare).

i realized after previous attempts that i didn't need a lot of oil/butter, and need to really towel them so there's no extra liquid steaming or braising them. in the past, i've also cooked them with a saffron cream sauce, but decided to keep the scallops seared and separate. i made the saffron cream sauce with some mushrooms & red bell peppers. typical of me, i thought i had picked up some half & half, but discovered that the thought never went into action, so had to improvise. not sure it it was weird, but i used a combination of evaporated milk, milk & cheese to make the sauce, which turned out quite rich due to the cheese. mike quite enjoyed it.