Scallop Gumbo
A refreshing alternative to seared scallops!
Scallops are my seafood of choice for special occasions and celebrations! They’re melt-in-your-mouth delicious – plus they’re filling and require no meal prep. Scallops also bring out one of my biggest cooking pet peeves: everyone makes them the same way – seared – so boring! If you want to add some variety to how you cook scallops, this recipe’s for you. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. of scallops (15-20 scallops per pound)
- Valsamo’s Greek Seasoning
The key to this recipe is the Valsamo’s seasoning, which you can buy here. I was fortunate to discover this amazingly tasty seasoning from my days in Memphis, TN. You can read about the origin and history of the chefs behind this seasoning here.
Cookware
I use this large frying pan from Anolon:
Step 1: Thaw the scallops
If your scallops are frozen, like mine usually are, then you’ll need to thaw them. I personally take them out of the freezer, place them in hot water for a few minutes, then drain the water.
Regardless of your method of thawing, do not thoroughly pat dry the scallops! In order to make the gumbo, you’ll need the water from the scallops to make the meal soupy.
Step 2: Set the stovetop burner to just under Hi/Max and add the scallops
You can see that in this picture, where I’ve just added the thawed scallops, they still have moisture content. They should still be moist and wet. Like I said before, do not thoroughly pat dry the scallops!
Step 3: Season and stir twice
Once the scallops are in the frying pan, I season once – relatively lightly. After a few minutes, I stir the scallops and season a second time – again, relatively lightly. This is what the scallops should look like after seasoning:
Step 4: Cook for 25 minutes
The scallops will be in the frying pan for about 25 minutes. Stir every few minutes. As they cook, you will notice the water from the scallops release into the pan. This is what forms the soupy gumbo! It should look like this:
Step 5: Garnish and serve!
I always serve the scallops with rice – here with brown basmati rice. Pour some of the juices from the frying pan onto the rice so that the rice soaks up the seasoned juices. You can either add the scallop and rice mixture to a plate and serve with a side (mixed veggies here), or – my personal preference – add the scallops, rice, and veggies to a bowl to make a true gumbo!
This is the exact rice I’m using:
Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? How did it turn out? Let me know in the comments below!
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