Buying Fresh Scallops

Before you make those delicious pan-seared scallops, you need to buy the scallops. Unfortunately, that's not always so simple.

Like shrimp, fresh scallops can be sold under a bewildering array of names — such as "bay" scallops, "sea" scallops and "jumbo" scallops — that don't necessarily indicate a specific size or weight. And then there's the mysterious "diver" scallop. What do all these descriptions mean? Read on to find out!

Scallops are often soaked in a phosphate solution that whitens them and makes them absorb more liquid, increasing their weight by as much as 30 percent. So you're paying $15 to $20 (or more) per pound for water.

Also, that phosphate solution is a common ingredient in soaps and detergents, and, not surprisingly, has a distinctly soap-like flavor. When you cook these scallops, all that extra liquid drains out and into the pan, so instead of searing them, you end up steaming them in something closely resembling soapy water.

If you want to avoid all that, look for scallops labeled "chemical free" or "dry packed."

How To Pan-Sear Sea Scallops

Most scallops you buy at the store have been soaked in a liquid solution that keeps them looking white. So you'll need to drain and rinse them thoroughly, then pat them dry with paper towels before seasoning them.

If you're lucky, your seafood purveyor carries "dry-packed" scallops, which haven't been treated with this liquid. If you can get these, you don't need to rinse them — you can just season them with Kosher salt and they'll be ready to cook. Note that scallops have an adductor muscle (sometimes called a "foot") on the side. It's a tough little tab of meat that you should pull off before cooking the scallop because it can be kind of chewy.

Heat a nonstick saute pan over a high heat, and add a tablespoon of clarified butter (or raw, unsalted butter) and a tablespoon of vegetable oil. The oil/butter mixture needs to be very hot before you add the scallops — you should actually see just the tiniest bit of smoke.

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