Sauteed Scallops with Coriander and Garlic Butter

There are 3 kinds of scallops. The largest are sea scallops, considerably smaller are bay scallops, and the smallest of all-they look like mini marshmallows-are calico scallops. I think what we have in the Philippines are bay scallops for they are small but not as small as calico scallops. 

They said old cookbooks call for cooking scallops for 20 minutes but after a testing a batch earlier, I figured that its better to just heat them through. When cooked correctly, scallops are tender and mild but when overcooked, they give ressistance to the bite. 

Another concern with scallops is chemical soaking. They are sometimes soaked in a solution that causes them to retain their water; otherwise, they would lose weight from the time they are harvested which can result to fishermen earning a small fortune. According to the book COOKING by James Peterson, Bay scallops are usually sold out of the shells and look like miniature sea scallops. They also tend to be expensive and are best when you can find them in their shells which guarantees freshness. Since there is no way to buy them right after being harvested, I'm stuck with possibly chemically treated scallops (blehhh). 

Sauteed Scallops with Coriander and Garlic Butter

Original recipe from the book, COOKING by James Peterson

First things first. Make a compound butter. Original recipe calls for parsley but since I have none at hand, I decided to use fresh coriander. To make a coriander and garlic compound butter, coarsely chop a handful of coriander and 3 cloves garlic. 

Add the butter and chop until finely chopped and completely combined. Bring the butter together into a cylinder with the side of the knife, wrap in a parchment paper and refrigerate. Set aside.

Brown your scallops over very high heat in a little oil. When sauteing scallops, you need high heat to brown the two sides without overcooking the inside. Again, overcooking the scallops would make it  tough and somehow leathery. We don't want that, do we?

Turn only 1 or 2 scallops at a time. Here, you can see that I've committed 2 crimes: 1) The heat is not high enough thats why the scallops released liquid into the pan and got boiled into their own juices. 2) I got overly psyched in turning them alltogether. 

Transfer the scallops to a paper towel-covered plate and wipe out the saute pan with a paper towel. Add the garlic and coriander compound butter to saute the pan. Cook over high heat until frothy. Return the scallops to the pan and turn them around in the butter. 

Arrange the scallops on plates wit butter sauce spooned on top. I added a fresh coriander just before serving not just for presentation but to enhance the flavor of the herb.