We got some special stuff from the San Francisco Fish Company at the Ferry Building the other day. Jeanette's parents were here (and paying), so in addition to a couple live lobsters (second course) and rack of Sonoma lamb (third course, not from Fish Company), we got some of the live scallops that they had. Apparently they bring them in whenever they can get them. And, you know, they aren't even that expensive, at $5.99/pound. The shucked scallops were like $24/pound, and while I didn't weigh the live scallops after I shucked and cleaned them in order to do the math, I'm guessing it works out pretty well, considering the amazing product you're getting with the live scallops. And despite the other two courses being pretty awesome, the scallops stole the show.

Here's the process for shucking:

The scallops don't come tightly shut the way, say, oysters do. They're easy to wedge apart. I used an oyster knife, but you could use any knife. You could use a spoon, if you wanted. While prying them apart, peel the "skirt" away from the shell, and then cut the muscle from the shell. Once they're disconnected from the shell, they're some ugly-looking little fuckers. Then it's easy to separate the adductor muscle (the part we eat) from all the crud around it. Finally, you peel off the "muscle" which is a tougher bit connected to the adductor muscle (yeah, scallop terminology is a bit confusing). Finally, wash the scallops well under running water and then dry them off using some clean towels or paper towels. Now you've got nice, clean, presentable scallops. If you're going to present them on their shells, make sure you give the shells a nice scrub, inside and out, and I would even recommend boiling them in some water for a minute to sterilize the shells.

1. 2. 3.

I presented them four different ways. We all stood in the kitchen as I was prepping them. I could have presented them on dishes with more contrast--glass would have been good, slate would have been better. Instead I just threw them onto plates and then we each ate our piece before I moved on to another preparation. With each preparation, my goal was not to overpower the scallops, but to enhance their sweetness. In each case, you'll notice that before placing the scallops on the plate, I put down some kind of oil. This was in order to make the scallops easier to pick up off the plate, as well as because I knew that we'd be putting them in our mouths with the bottom side toward our tongues. Hence, I wanted the first thing touching the tongue to be an oil or fat, in order to enhance the silky richness of the scallops and act as a flavor carrier. If I were to do them the other way, with, say, lemon juice under them and then oil on top, the lemon juice would hit the tongue first, making it difficult to perceive the scallops flavor at all. The oil coats the tongue slightly, making sure that the scallop flavor can come through before being overpowered by the garnish.

With each preparation, I sliced each scallop into four pieces, horizontally (on the equator, if you will). Slicing vertically would be fine, too, but then you'd be leaving the fibers longer. Whenever you're slicing something, no matter what it is (chicken breast, filet of beef, celery, whatever), make sure you think about which way you're slicing it. Sometimes it can make a huge difference in the perceived tenderness of your product. Longer fibers tend to require more chewing before swallowing, and they're perceived as less tender. So, the more tender and silky you want your product to be when eaten, the shorter the fibers you want. That's why you'll often see recipes telling you to slice something across the grain--it makes sure the fibers will be short, and thus, will make your product seem more tender. In the case of raw scallops, they're going to be silky anyway, but when sliced horizontally, for the shortest muscle fibers, they really just melt in your mouth. As with all things, you can slice them any way you want, but make sure you think about why you're doing it, and do it deliberately.

For the first preparation, I started with a couple drops of sesame oil on the plate (not heavily toasted sesame oil, just regular sesame oil). Then I put down the scallop, and added a small amount of soy sauce on top. Then I topped it with finely julienned ginger slivers and some lime zest. This was good, and everyone raved about it upon tasting it. However, it turned out to be the least interesting of the four preparations. In the end, it was no one's favorite, but was still quite nice. But after tasting it, this being the first preparation, we couldn't wait to try the rest.

For the second preparation, I wanted to use some beautiful ramps that had just come into season. I had already prepped the ramps by cleaning off the dry outer layer of the stalk and slicing off the roots. I took a small section of a ramp stalk and laid it on top of a scallop slice, then salted it with some Maldon salt. Then I rolled the scallop up with a ramp leaf. If you wet the ramp leaf ever so slightly, it will stick to itself. I first put a couple drops of olive oil on the plate, then laid the ramp-scallop package on top of it. This was awesome. I love the garlicky savoriness of ramps, and they were a great foil to the fresh, floral scallops.

Third, I minced some chives and then folded them into a small amount of creme fraiche. I put a couple drops of olive oil on the plate then put down the slices of scallops. I put a small dollop of the chive creme fraiche on top of each, then a squeeze of lemon, another couple drops olive oil on top of each, then some Maldon salt. I think that these were Jeanette's favorites. They reminded her of bagels and lox, and she immediately made plans to use the leftover chive creme fraiche. I loved this, too. Creme fraiche, as with, e.g., cream, will tend to dull the flavors. That's why, again, it's important that it is on top of the scallop so that the creme fraiche isn't the first thing to hit your tongue. The first thing you taste is the sweet scallop, the flavor carrier with the olive oil. Then the cool creme fraiche comes into afterward, with the lemon juice countering the dulling effects. Next, the chive comes through, giving it that savory quality. After that, the scallop flavor comes back again on the finish, with the sweet scallop lingering after you swallow.

For the fourth and final preparation (my favorite, and I think the favorite of Jeanette's father), I used some habanero pepper, and andouille oil. Habanero peppers are known for being very spicy. What is less well-known is that, underneath the heat is the most amazing and intense sweet pepper flavor. I discovered that at Komi, in Washington, DC, where I had a habanero pepper sauce with some spit-roasted baby goat that was delicious, and only slightly spicy. It opened my eyes. I was already thinking about that meal while preparing this, since that is the only other time I've had a just-shucked scallop (which they presented on the shell before taking back to the kitchen and slicing for two preparations.

In this case, I really wanted that sweet pepper flavor, which is much more intense in habanero than in, say, red bell pepper, but I didn't really want the heat (particularly since this was a first course). So I was very careful to remove all the fins and seeds from the peppers before slicing into very thin slices. I previously used the andouille oil to drip on top of a gumbo consomme at a dinner party. Originally the andouille oil was just a byproduct of browning some andouille sausage for the gumbo. The oil is just what rendered out of the sausage. It would more properly be called andouille fat, but since I use it warm (and hence liquid), I choose the more appetizing name "oil." Anyway, I saved the oil because it is flavorful stuff, and I figured I could find a use. I have found many. It is so delicious and smoky.

So, I put a few drops of the precious andouille oil on the plate where I was planning to put each piece of scallop. I topped each one with a few slivers of habanero, then sprinkled on some Hawaiian black sea salt (solely for the color), dripped on another few drops of andouille oil, and then topped with a radish sprout (solely for the color).

The smokiness of the andouille oil was such a nice contrast to the freshness of the scallop, while the habanero's sweetness perfectly complimented the sweetness of the scallop. There was a slight bit of heat on the finish, which was lovely. Yum.

These were all amazing, eaten starting only about ten minutes after the scallops were shucked. I will get these any time I find them. They weren't much work for how wonderful they were.

Posted by Barzelay on 2009/04/19 @ 22:06 | Comments (1) | Seafood

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