We’ve been big fans of sous vide cooking for about three years now.
Sous vide is the technique of cooking food in a temperature-controlled water bath.
When you can precisely control your cooking temperature to the tenth of a degree, the outcome is perfectly cooked food, every time.
Especially when you are investing in an expensive piece of steak or seafood, you want to ensure you have the most delicious, mouth-watering results.
The best way to sous vide is by using a vacuum seal system like the FoodSaver® Sous-vide Vacuum Seal Bags.
Technically you can use a water displacement method with a plastic zip bag in a sous vide, but we have found that the vacuum-sealed sous vide bags paired with the FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System are way more airtight which helps to ensure the bags don’t float to the top of your water bath, which can impact the cooking process.
The sous vide bags are also thicker and more durable which helps to ensure the bag doesn’t tear in the cooking process and it’s strong enough to be able to go from the freezer, fridge, microwave or sous vide. They come in a number of different sizes so no matter how huge your filet is, you’ll be covered.
You can find the FoodSaver® FM2000 Vacuum Sealing System and the sous vide bags at Target. In fact, you get it for 20% off during the month of July 2018.
This recipe is perfect for summer. The sea scallops are light but also rich with flavor. The mango salsa and coconut rice seem to transport you to a tropical beach.
Scallops are a romantic dish that is perfect for date night. Cooking scallops can be tricky as they are really easy to overcook, that’s why using a sous vide is the best way to approach cooking scallops at home.
They turn out perfect, every time.
Sous Vide Scallops with Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Mango Salsa
3 mangos, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
Juice of 2 limes, fresh
Salt and pepper
Coconut Rice
2 cups of canned coconut milk
1 cup of jasmine rice
Salt and pepper
Sous Vide Scallops
8 large sea scallops
6 tablespoons of butter, divided
1 lemon, sliced
This mango salsa recipe is super versatile. It’s great with chips, on tacos, or on top of chicken or seafood. Start by dicing the mangos, onions, and peppers. Finely chop the jalapenos and add them to the bowl. If you don’t want the mango salsa too spicy, discard the seeds. Juice your limes, add cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix everything together until well combined. Another great fruity option is this Strawberry Salsa Recipe.
For the coconut rice, start by rinsing your rice three times (this was a tip we learned while at a Thai cooking school in Northern Thailand). Mix the rice and coconut milk and add to your rice cooker until fully cooked. Keep warm until serving.
Now for the main event, the scallops!
Add water to a large pot and add your sous vide machine to the water and set it to preheat the water to 123 degrees F.
Rinse your scallops under water to clean the scallops. Then, using a paper towel, thoroughly dry the scallops. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
Add lemon slices to the sous vide bag with 2 slices of butter. Add 4 scallops and top with an additional 2 pads of butter. Insert the open end of the sous vide bag into the FM2000 vacuum system, press the vacuum and seal button, turn the machine to operate, and press the lever down.
The machine will suck all the air out of the sous vide bag and will seal the top.
Once complete, repeat the same process for the other 4 scallops.
Add both sous vide bags to the water bath and let it cook for 30 minutes. After that is complete, add the sealed sous vide bags to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
This ensures your sea scallops will not overcook.
At this point, your scallops are already cooked, but we still want to give them that perfect sear that everyone loves. Heat a stainless steel or cast iron skillet to high heat. Avoid using a nonstick pan as you will not get the nice sear you’re going for.
Remove the scallops from the sous vide bag and thoroughly pat them dry, as this is essential to get a good sear. Add 2 tablespoons butter and place your scallops onto the pan for about 40-60 seconds or until a nice sear is established.
Flip the scallops, adding more butter if needed and sear that other side. Remove the seared scallops from the pan and transfer to a plate.
Add coconut rice and top with the mango salsa. If you’re looking for even more of a tropical punch, sprinkle the scallops with toasted coconut as an additional garnish.
These scallops will be the most tender scallops you’ve ever tasted!
1 Comment
Telkom University
June 5, 2024 at 6:57 amThe combination of sous vide scallops with mango salsa and coconut rice sounds like a delightful and flavorful dish, perfect for a gourmet meal at home.