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How To Make Pan-Seared Sea Scallops

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Season Scallops with Kosher Salt
Season Scallops with Kosher Salt

Season Scallops with Kosher Salt

Photo © Danilo Alfaro

Season Scallops with Kosher Salt

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 sauté 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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