Chrissy Teigen Recipe Book: Seared Scallops | Live Laugh Linda (2024)

Happy Monday!

Most of you are probably enjoying a three day weekend because of President’s Day & I’m currently heading to work so I’m a little salty to be honest. I mean, I technically had a three day weekend since I took Friday off, but I’m still salty!

Anyways, I’m back today with another cooking post! This time I’m trying a recipe from Chrissy Teigen recipe book. I personally love her and my boyfriend got me this book a while back, pretty much to be decoration on my desk since I don’t really cook. But, this year I’m attempting to learn. To be honest, it’s been a hot mess so far, but I’m really enjoying it and hey I’m just starting out so take it easy on me!

Today we’re making the “Perfect Seared Scallops with Warm Corn Salad.” I love scallops and always get them when I see it on a menu, but cooking them, nope had no idea how to. So I was really excited to give this Chrissy Teigen recipe book recipe a try.

Chrissy Teigen Recipe Book: Seared Scallops | Live Laugh Linda (1)

CHRISSY TEIGEN RECIPE BOOK: SEARED SCALLOPS

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

For the warm corn salad:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (tbh I think I used regular, not unsalted butter)

1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained, or 2 cups fresh kernels (from 3 large ears) – (I used canned corn)

1/2 small red bell pepper, diced – (maybe because I’m inexperienced, but these are hard to cut!!)

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – (um yeah, definitely used regular salt and pepper)

For the scallops:

12 extra large or 6 jumbo scallops (about 1 pound) – (I went with the jumbo scallops)

2 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil – (I used olive oil)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter – (Again, I used regular butter)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (Again, I’m not fancy so I used regular salt & pepper)

WHAT TO DO

For the corn salad:

  1. In a large heavy skillet, heat the butter over medium heat.
  2. When it foams, add the corn, bell pepper, and scallion and sauté, tossing lightly, until cooked but still crips, about 3 minutes.
  3. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and hold warm in pan off the heat.

For the scallops:

  1. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. (Chrissy’s Tip: If they’re really fresh they should smell sweet and good and you shouldn’t have to rinse them. And don’t salt them just yet!)
  2. Heat a medium skillet (not nonstick) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. It should be really hot, but not screaming hot.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, then add 1/2 tablespoon of the butter and swirl the pan. (Chrissy’s Tip: Adding the oil first helps prevent the butter from burning.)
  4. Sprinkle half of the scallops heavily with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet seasoned- side down. (I added a sprinkle of Adobo since Adobo just makes everything better.)
  5. Chrissy’s Biggest Tip: Do not move, touch or do anything to the scallops while they cook. Leave them be!
  6. Cook the scallops until a crust forms, about 2 minutes.
  7. Pat the tops of the scallops down with a paper towel, season them heavily with salt and pepper and flip the scallops.
  8. Cook another 1 to 1/2 minutes max, until both sides are beautifully seared.
  9. Wipe out the skillet if it is too dark and cook the remaining scallops.
  10. When done, transfer to a plate and serve with warm corn salad.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO PREP & COOK?

According to Chrissy Teigen recipe book, it should take 15 minutes for prep and 30 minutes to cook. So a total of 45 minutes.

Since I’m a mess and had no idea what I was doing and pretty much learning how to do basic things in the kitchen, it took me a bit longer. You know how in school, you always start out with like intro to Spanish or Spanish 101. Yeah, at this point, I need like intro to the intro of cooking. I would say this took me an hour and a half.

Not to make excuses, but I barely have any counter space at home so that worked against me on top of the fact that I didn’t know what I was doing, but just because it took me a year to cook this doesn’t mean that you can’t do it in 45 minutes.

Chrissy Teigen Recipe Book: Seared Scallops | Live Laugh Linda (2)

Chrissy Teigen Recipe Book: Seared Scallops | Live Laugh Linda (3)

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Okay, I put these two photos together and I literally started busting out laughing. I mean my scallops aren’t twins, siblings or even cousins with Chrissy’s scallops. They’re like international pen pals.

But, let’s start with the positive. This isn’t a hard recipe to follow along to. Sure, I was tripping over myself, but it was my first time. I’m pretty sure I could make this again without having to reread the recipe multiple times like I did this time.

It also doesn’t take that many ingredients. The scallops are definitely expensive so this would be a great dinner for a special occasion, I made these on Friday for Lunar New Year, but they would also be great for a date night.

Although my scallops looked really different and uncooked from the picture, they were actually delicious. The corn salad was so simple, but so good. I love corn so I was really excited for this. Plus the colors are so vibrant that when you plate this it just looks so good. You’re probably looking at my plate and disagreeing with me, but I honestly think there’s no way you can plate this and make it look ugly.

Now, onto the cons and by cons I don’t mean about the recipe, I mean with myself.

In case you couldn’t tell, my scallops didn’t form a crust. I swear I didn’t touch them for 2 minutes like she recommended, I patted them down and everything and even left them on significantly longer than she recommended and a crust just wouldn’t form. I looked up other people trying this and it seems that everyone else formed a crust on theirs but yours truly so it’s definitely something I did. Maybe I used a nonstick pan or shame on me for not following the ingredients to perfection, but a crust would not form.

WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN?

Totally. I was kinda disappointed when my scallops didn’t form a crust and look like hers, but they were really good and I for sure would give it another try. I’m also excited that I somewhat know how to cook scallops now because they were so intimidating before, but they really aren’t that bad!

I hope you guys enjoyed today’s Cooking with Linda post! And if you didn’t, I hope you at least got a laugh out of my hot mess attempt at learning how to cook. Again, I’m not an expert or a food blogger, I’m just trying to learn how to be an adult and make a meal for myself and sharing my experience!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a great week!

Chrissy Teigen Recipe Book: Seared Scallops | Live Laugh Linda (2024)

FAQs

How to cook scallops like a restaurant? ›

extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until the oil is very hot and shimmering. Use tongs to gently place the scallops in the pan, leaving plenty of room around each scallop. Cook scallops, undisturbed (repeat: do not move them), until they are deeply golden-brown on the first side, 3–4 minutes.

How to cook scallops Martha Stewart? ›

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the scallops to skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining scallops, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.

Why do you soak scallops in milk before cooking? ›

Scallops, like many other types of seafood, can have a mild fishy odor that some people find off-putting. Soaking scallops in milk before cooking can help alleviate this odor. Milk can neutralize or mask the fishy smell, resulting in a milder scent.

How to get a crispy sear on scallops? ›

Directions
  1. Lightly salt and pepper the prepared scallops.
  2. Add the butter and olive oil to a large non-stick saute pan over high heat. Once it's smoking, add the scallops. ...
  3. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side, until the sides are golden and the centers are translucent. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
Aug 26, 2021

What is the secret to cooking scallops? ›

Gently add the scallops to your pan (making sure there is a bit of space in between them to avoid crowding) and let them cook, completely undisturbed for at least 2 minutes over medium-high heat. The more that you move them around, the more difficult it will be to create a nice crust around the bottom.

Are scallops better fried or baked? ›

Generally, the best way to cook scallops is searing them. Seared scallops are cooked on the stovetop, usually in a cast iron skillet to get an excellent sear, using butter or oil to get them nice and crispy. The result is a crisp, golden brown exterior with a delicate balance of savory, tender scallops inside.

Should you cook scallops in oil or butter? ›

Scallops are low-fat and high in protein with lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. While I recommend cooking them in butter for the best sear, you can cook them in vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil if preferred.

Should you flour scallops before searing? ›

Flour: While optional, I love dusting flour over my scallops before cooking them. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. You can skip this step if you don't have flour or are gluten-free.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Aracelis Kilback

Last Updated:

Views: 5894

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Aracelis Kilback

Birthday: 1994-11-22

Address: Apt. 895 30151 Green Plain, Lake Mariela, RI 98141

Phone: +5992291857476

Job: Legal Officer

Hobby: LARPing, role-playing games, Slacklining, Reading, Inline skating, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dance

Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.