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Here are some great recipes that utilize ingredients available around Mystic, CT. We have designed these recipes so that they are interesting, easy to replicate, and generate a minimal amount of mess.

Seared Sea Scallops

You have to start with "dry" scallops. This means no preservatives. Best is to get scallops that have not been frozen. Frozen scallops that have been teated with preservative constantly exude water when cooking so it is nearly impossible to get them to brown. The scallops should look fresh. As with everything, if you can't find good product, cook something else! Good scallops can be served as sushi, ie raw. They do not need to be cooked through like chicken.

3TBS Clarified butter (ghee)
1# scallops
salt, pepper, lemon

1. Clean scallops. Remove the side muscle. Use a knife to scape off ant speck of sand; be meticulous, a small speck causes a big CRUNCH when you bite into it!


Lay the cleaned scallops onto a paper towel to dry. If you won't be cooking them for more than 30 minutes, put them uncovered in the fridge.

2. Melt butter and skim off the clear portion to cook with, leaving solids on bottom The clarified portion has a high smoking point. The easiest is to buy Ghee, which is pre-clarified butter

3. Heat the clarified butter in a non-stick skillet. The pros can do it in a regular skillet, but a nonstick skillet really helps to avoid damaging the crust. You can also use a well seasoned cast iron but it also has a tendency to pull of some of the crust. Get the temp to a touch over 400f.

4. Place the scallops in pan starting with the largest. stand them upright, not on their side. Keep them separated. Too many in a batch will drop the temp too much and prevent browning

5. Watch the heat. Here I let it get a little too high. If it gets too cool, browning stops.

6. Turn them when they are nice and brown, They will look less brown on the plate than in the skillet. Then turn off the heat. I don't usually try to brown the bottom.

7. Serve. A little salt and lemon is all you really need. If you want to jazz em up, stir a little tomato sauce, sriracha, fresh basil/lemon into the left over butter solids and serve.

Or serve in a soup

Or on a pizza

Or freshly grated wasabi root