You have to dry them

Not far from the Atlantic coast recently, I picked up some fresh scallops and called my Baton Rouge buddy Dave Gallent for a little advice. In addition to being a crack 225 food photographer, Dave is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and was once on the scallop station at a high-end Birmingham restaurant. Scallops scare me because they’re expensive and easy to ruin. I’ve certainly fouled up my share.

Dave came through. He advised me to first soak the scallops in buttermilk. Then, he said to dry them really well with paper towels (an absolute must), season them and sear them for about a minute and a half on the first side in butter over medium heat. Flip them, and cook for no more than 30 seconds. Using more of Dave’s tips, I deglazed the pan with white wine, removed it from the heat and added a little butter and some fresh tarragon and basil. The dish was incredibly light and the scallops perfect in texture.

Not unlike my early days of grilling, the scary scallop sauté is one of those subjective exercises that got easier with each batch. I sautéed four pans worth that night, and got better at adjusting the heat to achieve just the right golden brown sear while keeping the bivalves juicy.

Best of all, this refreshing meal was perfect for hot weather and required little time in the kitchen.