Pan Seared Scallops with a Ponzu Butter Sauce and Hijiki Salad

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The scallops are pretty simple. The seasoning mixture is 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt to 1 tsp. Pepper to 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar. Lightly season both sides of the scallops and pan sear with canola oil on two sides until caramelized, about 1 minute per side. The scallops should be served about medium to medium rare.

A recipe for the ponzu butter sauce is here:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f16/ginger-scallion-crusted-salmon-with-ponzu-butter-sauce-2127.html

Hijiki Salad Dressing

Yield: Approx. 1 Quart

1/4 c. Fresh Ginger, minced
1/4 c. Fresh Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Green Curry paste (sub Sriracha)
1/4 c. Kabayaki Sauce
1/4 c. Sesame oil
1/4 c. Salad oil
1/4 c. Brown sugar
1/2 c. Rice Wine vinegar
1 c. Sweet Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Sherry vinegar
1/2 c Pickled Ginger
1/4 c. Cilantro

Method:

In a food processor blender, combine all ingredients and puree. Soak hijiki in warm water for 15 minutes, then strain. In a saucepan, combine the hijiki and fresh cold water, and bring to simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the hijiki, squeeze out the excess water, and cover the warm hijiki with enough of the dressing to cover the hijiki completely. When the hijiki is cool, marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.​
 
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Ironchef,

The 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in the seasoning is an interesting touch. Is that to help in the color? Are you going for blackened here? Over high heat?

I want to try these!

Lee
 
QSis said:
Ironchef,

The 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in the seasoning is an interesting touch. Is that to help in the color? Are you going for blackened here? Over high heat?

I want to try these!

Lee

It's partly for both color and flavor. The subtle sweetness from the sugar enhances the natural sweetness in the scallops and goes well with the sauce. I just started doing that recently after experimenting a bit. My sauces are mostly Asian fusion and I'm always looking for things to enhance the dish. We're able to get fresh dayboat scallops so I don't like to cook them anymore than medium rare. I sear it between high and medium high heat. If the flame is too high it will burn because of the sugar. Too low and it will take too long to brown properly and you'll end up cooking the scallops past medium. I also make sure that everyone sears no more than six (two orders worth) at a time. Too many scallops will bring the temperature of the oil down too far and you'll also end up with uneven browning. It's not so much blackened. It's more of a dark caramelization. You can only brown it up to a certain point before the sugar will taste bitter. The scallop on the far right is actually a tad bit too dark, but it was a display plate so it was more for looks than anything. The scallop on the far left is the color that you want.
 
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Constance said:
The scallops are beautiful, IC.
Forgive my ignorance, but what is hijaki?

Hijiki is a type of Japanese seaweed. A couple of years ago, a Canadian or British Health agency raised a red flag by saying that hijiki contained more inorganic arsenic than other types of seaweed. However, their results and reasoning where substantial and inconclusive at best because they really had no way to prove it. Supposedly, they found that the inorganic arsenic is "suspected" that it "may" lead to cancer. The Japanese are one of the biggest consumers of seaweeds and their cancer rate is low, and none were ever found, suspected, or were reported to have been caused by the inorganic arsenic found in seaweed. There's still a lot of material online about this issue. As far as I know, they are still standing by their findings but it's not taken very seriously. The FDA and USDA have no restrictions on hijiki. As far as I'm concerned, because I've looked into this, it's all smoke and mirrors.

But, if you're really that wary about using hijiki, then use arame instead.
 
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I've eaten broiled sea scallops in restaurants and really enjoy them prepared that way. There is some kind of mild seasoning on them. It looks like paprika but it is more than that. Does anyone have any seasoning recipe that is good on seafood, particularly scallops?
 
My husband tosses them with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, then sears them in non-stick skillet, getting them just barely done. He sometimes also sprinkles them with a bit of Cajun seasoning. I serve the scallops with baked potatoes, filled with butter and sour cream, and asparagus spears.
I'm talking about the big diver's scallops here. I often buy bay scallops to use in seafood pasta, gumbos and such.
 
I didn't know that it was that common to serve scallops medium rare. How does it affect the flavor?

I suppose I'll try it one of these days.
 
Billdolfski said:
I didn't know that it was that common to serve scallops medium rare. How does it affect the flavor?

I suppose I'll try it one of these days.

It really depends on the quality of scallops being used. The fresher the scallop, the sweeter the taste. Also, look for scallops that are an off-white color, almost ivory. Scallops that are ultra-white may have been bleached. Day boat scallops are best but are the most expensive.
 
The scallops look delicious. One of my favorite seafoods. I use sugar on my scallops as well, it carmelizes nicely.
 

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