Recipe in progress: Scallops with rosemary-roasted potatoes and prosciutto, and some questions....

J

joe

Well-known member
This was really tasty last night. I sliced some red-skinned potatoes and browned them on top of the stove in olive oil and butter, then tossed in a little minced rosemary and S&P and put them in the oven.

I had a pack of prosciutto from Trader Joe's, and a pack of their frozen Japanese scallops. The prosciutto was julienned and sauteed in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil and then drained on paper towels. Then I turned the heat up on the pan to almost smoking in a vain attempt to get the scallops to brown, but when I added them they released so much liquid that they only deglazed the pan a little.

The potatoes, topped with the prosciutto and then the scallops, and drizzled with a little mustard vinaigrette, were a wonderful combination. Asparagus was just right on the side

I want to make it into a chic first course by making individual potato gallettes. (Julia has you layer thin potato slices, tossed with oil and herbs, in a small tart ring.), topped with just a few scallops and a pinch of the prosciutto, drizzled with vinaigrette and maybe garnished with little asparagus tips.

My question is, is there any way to get those water-plumpled scallops to brown? Julia says to toss them in a hot dry pan first, then proceed to the saute, but I'm afraid they'd overcook. I suppose I could broil or grill them.

Also, the prosciutto was more chewy than crisp, and I may try actually frying it. Or maybe I should switch to pancetta, though I'd miss the smoky flavor.

It's rare that my improvisations are worth repeating, so any ideas for dressing this one up would be appreciated. TIA.

 
Joe, sounds like a wonderful dinner!! A tip I learned from a local chef was to really dry off the

scallops prior to cooking...They do release so much liquid. While I do not cook them often, I have had much success in patting them down completely (Use your fist if necessary!!) with a paper towel prior to cooking.

What a nice dinner! I love the addition of asparagus! Nice combination!

Just my thoughts/experience!

Enjoy your weekend!

Regards,
Barb

 
This does sound wonderful--maybe a thicker piece of prosciutto in a dice would..

work better than a julliene. If those scallops were treated in some sort of solution, as I guess they were, dry them well as barb_b suggestes and dust lightly with wondra flour.

 
It does sound wonderful...can you just buy dry scallops instead? I get them at Sam's or Costco and

can't remember which, in the frozen food section not the meat department. They are Worldcatch brand, Japanese wild caught scallops, large, probably about 20-24 to the 1 1/2 lb bag. The only ingredient listed is scallops and I never have a problem with searing. I'm giving a link to their website, perhaps you could find a source near you. They're really good.

http://www.worldcatch.com/retail.html

 
Try following Julia's advice- toss in hot dry pan- then saute them

If too much juice comes out for your taste, just mop it out with paper towels. I find that when trying to brown scallops I have better luck with butter.

You might also try the tiniest pinch of sugar to help it along.

I don't think the prosciutto needs actual cooking time- you put it on hot potatoes and put hot scallops over the top so why heat it at all?

The combination of flavors sounds delicious- do you put any sweet in your mustard vinaigrette? I use a bit of honey in mine and use homemade raspberry vinegar too which I think would be sensational on your new Joe Dish To Die For (unless there is a lot of Rosemary in the potatoes.)

 
I dry them well also. I get the pan really hot before they touch it. But I also find that butter is

better at browning them. I use tongs to turn them rather than poking them or playing with them too much. But I also use a heavy Tfal pan so that not too much greasing is needed.

Unfortunately, I use butter for too many things.

With the potatoes, I also use butter. Sounds like pommes Anna, done in a swirl pattern, with butter between the thin layers, then baked and flipped over so the pattern is visible. Makes a pretty crust on the bottom side. But then you wouldn't want a vinaigrette with that would you. You've now given me the idea to do this indvidually. Thank you. I think it makes an impressive presentation.

Ordinary bacon is good with scallops too. And ham.

Looks like a good dinner to me.

Let us know how your second version turns out.

 
If you really figure out how to sear them, let everyone in on the secret.

Those plumped ones are designed to retain water, unfortunately. Which means no matter what you do, at base you wind up steaming or poaching them.

Closest I've come is to stand them on a fine-mesh rack, cover with a sheet of plexiglass, then weight the plexiglass. This forces much of the water out of them. But 1. it takes time, and 2. it impresses a grid pattern on the face of the scallops.

And, after all that, they still only sort of sear.

I think the flavor combo sounds great. But I would wait until you can buy fresh, dry scallops before attempting it again.

 
Looks like we both use the same process. Maybe you should try butter Joe. I've never had a problem

with their not browning.

 
Thanks Curious! I dodn't know Costco carried dry-pack scallops. smileys/smile.gif))

(That's a Big Grin, by the way...)

Edited: Doh! dIdn't.....

 
IN addition to drying them with a paper towel, try letting them air dry in the fridge - this is the

closest I've been able to come to a well-seared scallop.

 
Thank you so much, everyone. I'll look for Curious' dry scallops at Costco, and in the meantime

I'll squeeze the wet ones mercilessly, LOL. I didn't know it was okay to use my fists, Barb--I've always patted them ever-so-gently.

Cathy, I don't use sweetener in vinaigrette but I agree it would go well here, and so would the raspberry vinegar.

I'll let you know how my next attempt goes, and I'll save any rubberized scallops for Ang. Meanwhile last night's leftovers made a nice fritatta for lunch, potatoes and all.

Thanks everyone for the tips. It's really helpful. I love scallops but don't cook them often because the wateriness is discouraging.

 
I hope it was Costco, it may have been Sam's. I know they're not always available, I wonder if it's

a seasonal thing. Also, the ones I had last night were larger than I said above, only 14-15 to the 1 1/2 lbs.

 
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