Buttery Baked Scallops - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What's the healthiest way to eat scallops? ›

Cook them at high heat, moisten them and don't cook them for too long. Making sure they are healthy is the easiest part. Simply don't add anything that contains large amounts of fat, sugar or salt. A 450 F oven, a sprinkle of lemon juice and pepper and 10 minutes is all you need for scrumptious baked scallops.

Scallops have a mild, sweet flavor with a buttery, tender, soft texture. Are scallops healthy? Scallops are low-fat and high in protein with lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. While I recommend cooking them in butter for the best sear, you can cook them in vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil if preferred.

Eliminates Mild Fish Odor From Your Scallop

Soaking scallops in milk before cooking can help alleviate this odor. Milk can neutralize or mask the fishy smell, resulting in a milder scent. The milk helps to reduce the intensity of the fish odor, making the scallops more pleasant to cook and easier to consume.

Because sea scallops have a chewier texture, searing them in a hot skillet is the simplest, most effective cooking method to achieving a crisp exterior and tender, just-firm texture within. Basting the scallops with butter helps finish cooking them and enhances browning, too.

Scallops are an excellent source of lean protein. Research shows that high-protein diets can help with weight loss, as you feel fuller for longer. Protein may also boost your metabolism. Scallop protein also contains taurine and glycine, amino acids that research has found to prevent weight gain and obesity.

Although shrimp is relatively high in cholesterol, it can still be a part of a heart-healthy diet. This is because it contains a high amount of 'good' cholesterol. Scallops are low in cholesterol and therefore do not pose a risk of raising your cholesterol levels. They are also low in saturated fats.

A: You should always rinse scallops thoroughly to remove grit, but there shouldn't be so much grit that you have to soak them. In fact, soaking isn't recommended because the scallops can absorb water and get soggy, less flavorful and difficult to sear properly.

When it comes to health, olive and canola oil are shown to have the best health outcomes. But if you're a firm believer in everything being better with butter, consider a butter that contains less saturated fat.

Never thaw scallops at room temperature. Rinse and pat dry. Rinse the scallops, then pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. If scallops have too much moisture on the outside, they won't brown properly.

Even better, they're a cinch to prep. Unlike other bivalves, the sea scallops you buy at the store are actually just the adductor muscle that opens and closes the shell. They're almost always sold shucked, so you don't have to deal with scrubbing shells or removing grit as you would for clams or mussels.

Why do scallops taste like baking soda? ›

Wet scallops appear very shiny and white. The extra water in these scallops causes them to shrink when cooked, and the sweet natural flavor of the scallop is diminished by a slight aftertaste similar to baking soda.

The secret is that you just pat them dry (buy dry-packed scallops), season with salt and pepper, and put them in a hot pan coated with oil and you leave them alone. Don't touch them. Don't move them.

If you're hosting a party, get the headcount before you head to the store. Scallops can be expensive and don't reheat well, so budget for the exact amount you need. We generally count 3–4 large scallops per person.

Generally, the best way to cook scallops is searing them. Seared scallops are cooked on the stovetop, usually in a cast iron skillet to get an excellent sear, using butter or oil to get them nice and crispy. The result is a crisp, golden brown exterior with a delicate balance of savory, tender scallops inside.

While grilling scallops may sound crazy, it's actually the perfect way to cook them! Quick, high heat is ideal for a food that you want to be certain not to overcook, and a light, quick kiss of char and smoke brings these gorgeous shellfish to life.

Fortunately, scallops are considered a “good choice,” or a lower mercury fish, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (29). To reap the benefits of scallops and other seafood, it's recommended to eat 2 to 3 servings of “good choice” fish per week.

Scallops are not just low in calories and cholesterol, but also low in most unhealthy saturated fats, so they're great for weight management. Whether you're looking to gain or lose weight, scallops can be an excellent part of your regular diet.