2 simple secrets for making restaurant-quality scallops at home

Joey Lugo is big on being the best.

Early each morning, when the clock strikes 2, he’s out the door and driving to the fish market in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx in New York, to select from the day’s catch to take back to his store, Shipwreck Seafood Boutique, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Wild salmon. Yellowfin tuna. Fresh sea scallops.

“I guarantee my product for up to four days when I get it,” he said. The seafood case, which he sells out every day, takes up just a handful of feet in his shop, while the rest of the space is dedicated to a kitchen and seating for dining in.

What you see is what you get. Lugo’s store is meticulously clean, and it took me a second to realize that it didn’t smell like anything. “If your fish store smells like fish, it’s not fresh,” he said, pointing to a huge display of those ivory scallops, some of the plumpest and shiniest I’d ever seen. Indeed, they did not smell like fish, just faintly of the sea.

This is the first true secret to cooking good scallops at home: Find the freshest ones you can, and ideally at a fish market. It can seem daunting, especially in landlocked cities where the supply may not be as pristine as what you might get at a place like Shipwreck.

But there are tricks: Look for the word “dry,” which signals that the scallops weren’t stored in a solution after they were shucked. Also, smell them: Is that a fishy aroma or the scent of the sea?

The second and most important secret to cooking good scallops at home is to focus on searing just “the prettiest side,” said chef Cali Faulkner, who whips up some incredible ones at her restaurant, Third Falcon, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. “That’s your presentation side.”

It’s not just for looks: When a protein is that small and that lean, you have only a couple of minutes before it gets stringy, she said. So get the skillet very hot before adding neutral oil, which should emit a wisp of smoke immediately, signaling that it’s time to sear. Then, sear hard.

Don’t be afraid to peek after the first minute or so, once they release from the pan, Faulkner said, adding that cooking scallops is “an intuitive thing.” Like ovens, skillets have hot spots, so if any of them aren’t browning evenly, feel free to move them around.

Since a fresh scallop can be eaten raw, the other side requires just the lightest kiss of the pan, the few seconds it takes you to grab a plate from the cupboard.

Perfectly seared scallops need little more to be complete. A squeeze of lemon is sufficient, but if you want a stellar partner to balance their sweet bite, make a side salad and an ubersavory vinaigrette. A potion of finely minced shallot and jalapeño mellowed out in red wine vinegar and a small dribble of soy sauce, inspired by mignonette, raw oysters’ classic condiment, takes scallops to even greater heights. The best deserves the best.

Seared scallops with tomato saladA perfectly seared scallop needs little more to taste complete. A squeeze of lemon is sufficient, but if you want a stellar partner to balance the sweet saline bite of caramelized sea scallops, make this tomato salad of tomato salads dressed with an acidic, savory vinaigrette inspired by mignonette, the classic accompaniment to raw oysters. It’s dotted with minced shallot to carry tomatoes and earthy spring mix – and scallops, of course – to umami heights.

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, quartered and thinly sliced

Salt

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon finely minced shallots

1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeño

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Mild oil, such as canola, vegetable or grapeseed

1/2 pound large dry sea scallops, tough side muscles removed

4 cups loosely packed spring mix or arugula

In a colander or sieve placed over a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and set aside to drain, about 30 minutes. Discard the liquid. Or, keep it and add a splash of it to a martini later.

To a small jar with a lid, add the vinegar, shallots, jalapeño, soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Set aside to mellow out, at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, seal the jar and shake well to combine. Set aside until ready to dress the salad.

Pat the scallops dry and season with salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high until hot. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. When a wisp of smoke rises, place the scallops where the oil has pooled. Cook, without touching, until deeply golden brown on the bottoms, two to three minutes. Reduce the heat if needed. Flip and cook the second sides briefly until lightly golden, 30 seconds to one minute. Transfer the scallops to a plate and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette.

In a mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes and spring mix with 1 tablespoon of the reserved vinaigrette. Taste and add more salt and vinaigrette as desired. Divide the salad among serving plates, piled high, and top with the scallops. Any leftover vinaigrette keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Yield: 2 servings

Total time: 30 minutes