… you take the opportunity to experiment.  Scallops (specifically Hokkaido-originated ones) are at the top of G and I’s favorite seafood list, so it was with mixed emotions that the family was recently “gifted” with a large bag of frozen jumbo scallops.  As fans of Top Chef might recall, this particular shellfish is a very different ingredient to work with frozen, and taste-wise they just can never compare to the “fresh” alternatives.

That said, if you defrost them slowly (overnight in the fridge) you can still end up with acceptable scallops. They just won’t have as strong and sweet of flavor. Consider that  lesson learned after my first failed batch.   I cooked mostly by sous-vide at 50.5° C for 30 min (credit to sousvidecooking.org) but also pan-fried a few for comparison.  Results from the first acceptable batch were that the sous-vide scallops (with a quick post sear) had a much creamier texture, but the regular fried ones tasted slightly better – likely due to additional carmelization.  Side note: be sure to thoroughly pat dry scallops for better browning.

Future cooking will definitely be sous-vide.  Not having to babysit the scallops while waiting for them to turn opaque frees me up to prep other things, like the sautéed brussels sprouts with toasted pistachios and lemon zest pictured above.