"The scoop on scallops; baking tips and tricks" by Food Forum

The skinny on scallops

Scallops are low in calories, fat, carbohydrates and cholesterol — so it’s a nutritional crime when they are breaded and deep-fried or drowned in a fat-laden casserole.

Health experts recommend eating at least two seafood meals a week as part of a healthful diet. Pleasantly sweet and mild scallops can be a good choice because their flavor has broad appeal even among those who aren’t the big fans of seafood.

Sea scallops, the larger and more widely available variety, are moist, sweet and slightly chewy. Tiny bay scallops are a bit sweeter and more succulent, but usually are quite expensive because they are less plentiful.

Look for scallops with a moist surface and a sweet, fresh smell rather than fishy odor. Because scallops often are sold pre-packaged in trays or in plastic containers, you may want to get them from the fish counter so you can ask to give them a sniff before they are wrapped.

When buying sea scallops, try to get those that are labeled “dry,” which means they haven’t been treated with the preservative sodium tripolyphosphate. They will be considerably more flavorful and tend to brown much better. Frozen scallops generally are of a good quality and available year-round.

Though scallops are delicious on their own, they do benefit from added flavors. If you are using a liquid marinade, be careful not to let the scallops soak too long as their texture can quickly degrade. Ten minutes of marinating usually is enough.

A dry rub made with herbs, spices and a bit of oil is one of the best ways to add flavor and keep scallops moist while cooking. With this method, you can let the flavors permeate the scallops for quite some time (up to 12 hours) without ruining their texture.

All scallops should be cooked for as short a time as possible to avoid them becoming tough and dried out.

Just the right temp

Depending on what you’re trying to make, the temperature of your ingredients can play a huge part.

For pie crusts, you want your butter to be cold, as that makes the flakiest crusts. But if you’re making a cake, you want your butter at room temperature, because room-temperature butter makes the most tender cakes. Similarly, eggs will whip up highest if they’re at room temperature.

If you don’t have time to wait for your butter or eggs to warm up, there are fixes. Submerging whole eggs in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes should do the trick, as should judicious use of the microwave for your butter.

For perfect pie crust butter, try putting butter in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, then use a cheese grater to grate it into your flour so it spends as little time as possible in contact with your fingers.

Reader feedback is always welcome. Add your comments below or write to Gazette reporter Elysia Nest at nest@dailygazette.com