How to cook scallops sous vide

How to cook scallops sous vide

How to cook scallops sous vide

16 June 2015

How to cook scallops sous vide

Scallops are an expensive shellfish normally reserved for extravagant dinner parties and are notoriously tricky to cook. The sweet white flesh contains no protective fat and when pan-frying it is all too easy to end up with a tough rubbery result. The sous vide process can take the element of risk out of cooking as the temperature is kept very low ensuring even cooking throughout.

1
Preheat the water bath to 52˚C
2
Season the scallops with salt and put them into a vacuum bag in a single layer. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the bag and seal
3
Place the bag in the preheated water bath to cook for 20 minutes then remove from the bag and pat dry with kitchen paper
4
Place a non-stick frying pan over a high heat
5
When the pan is very hot, sear the scallops for a few seconds on each side until golden brown and caramelised. Serve immediately

Variations

Try adding different flavours to the bag; lemon or orange zest, dill and curry powder all work very well. You could also use a flavoured oil such as garlic or chilli oil.

Serving Suggestions

Alfred Prasad serves his scallops with a spicy tomato chutney and roasted peppers or for a zingy, fresh starter you could try Richard Corrigan's Seared scallops with salsify, blood orange and brown shrimp.

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