Sous Vide Pan Seared Garam Masala Scallops

I just had to try using the sous vide cooking technique with scallops. Delicate and delicious, scallops usually come out under or over cooked. Under cooked, they are cool and gelatinous. Over cooked, they are dry and rubbery. The challenge is always when to know when the scallop is done. The touch test is most popular, but let’s face it that takes a bit of experience – i.e. expensive trial and error experience. Well, I can say using sous vide took all the guess work out of knowing when the scallops were done. Yet there are a few tricks to successfully sous vide cooking scallops. First, I started with frozen scallops – they can stand up to the vacuum sealing being frozen hard. Thawed or fresh scallops would be crushed by the vacuum. Second, just because we are using sous vide, timing and temperature are still important. Like the recent sous vide ahi and salmon recipes I posted, these delicate foods require lower temperatures and shorter times than probably expected. If the food cooks longer, expect less than stellar results. Sous vide does give you a little more latitude than just direct pan searing, so do not be afraid to give this recipe a try. Also, do not be afraid to play with different seasonings for the scallops while sous vide cooking; like using garam masala, berbere, lemon and thyme, etc. Adding seasonings to the vacuum bag is a huge bonus for sous vide cooking. Be creative, be bold, and be pleased with the results!

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Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

6 - 7 oz sea scallops, frozen
1½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp ghee for sous vide
2 tsp ghee for searing

Instructions

Place the scallops into a vacuum bag.
Add the garam masala and 1 teaspoon of ghee to the vacuum bag.
Vacuum seal and place the frozen scallops into a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator to thaw.
When the scallops are thawed and ready to cook, set your sous vide water bath to 122 degrees.
Place the scallops into the water bath for 20 minutes.
When done, open the bag and place the scallops onto a plate, reserving the liquid.
Heat a cast iron pan over High/Medium-High heat.
Melt 2 teaspoon ghee in the pan.
Place the scallops into the hot pan and sear on one side for approximately 1 minute.
Remove from the pan and plate with rice, pasta, etc.
Lower the heat to Medium-high/Medium and reduce the reserved liquid to a glaze, approximately 2 minutes.
Drizzle with the glaze and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 470 Fat: 18g Saturated fat: 9g Unsaturated fat: 0g Trans fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 13g Sugar: 0g Sodium: 726mg Fiber: 1g Protein: 63g Cholesterol: 152mg

Place the scallops into a vacuum bag. Add the garam masala and 1 teaspoon of ghee to the vacuum bag. Vacuum seal and place the frozen scallops into a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator to thaw. When the scallops are thawed and ready to cook, set your sous vide water bath to 122 degrees. Place the scallops into the water bath for 20 minutes. When done, open the bag and place the scallops onto a plate, reserving the liquid. Heat a cast iron pan over High/Medium-High heat. Melt 2 teaspoon ghee in the pan. Place the scallops into the hot pan and sear on one side for approximately 1 minute. Remove from the pan and plate with rice, pasta, etc. Lower the heat to Medium-high/Medium and reduce the reserved liquid to a glaze, approximately 2 minutes. Drizzle with the glaze and serve.