Bay Scallops and Couscous

I was going through the ads at the local supermarket stores and Bay Scallops were on sale for super cheap!! I have been dying to make scallops for Justin since his only experience with scallops can be summed up as "rubbery, grimy, sandy". I really wanted to change his mind on scallops because I am in LOVE with scallops. They have such a delicious texture and taste - and they really only need a couple fresh ingredients to allow the scallops to shine! 

My total list of ingredients: mushrooms, carrots, bay scallops, shallots, garlic, couscous, broth, basil.

PREP: Preparing your scallops correctly is THE most important thing!
After purchasing fresh scallops, it is recommended that you cook them that day. You can however, keep them in the fridge up to 3 days. Your first step in prepping should be to rinse your scallops and pick through them (just to make sure they all look good, they should be clear white). Put your scallops on a paper towel and pat dry lightly. With a pairing knife or your nail, peel the muscle band off your scallops. This band will be an irregular square on the side of your scallop. Not all scallops have these muscle bands, but many do and keeping the band is often the reason for the taste that turns people off (or so I've heard). The muscle will be very easy to remove - just make sure you have a knife handy if you start pulling on the flesh of the scallop!

If you are wondering, here is a little biology into your food! Scallops are classified as bivalves because of their digestive properties. They grow in a shell to protect from predators, and the rings on the shells tell the age of the scallop (much like tree rings). Scallops are attached to the shell by a muscle, which is often kept with the scallop when they are shucked.

Make sure your scallops are patted dry well after removing the muscle band. Season with salt - and you are ready to cook! Because these scallops are little and were stored in water, I did not add flour to aid in the drying process. Sea scallops are often rolled in flour to soak excess water but bay scallops stored in water will often release water when they are cooking, causing the flour to wet as well!

COOKING: I started the couscous first because it needed a longer time to cook then the small bay scallops. Take a pot and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until translucent. Then add the carrots and mushrooms and cook, covered, for about 3 minutes. After the carrots are done, add 1 cup of couscous for every 1 1/4 cups of broth (1 cup is plenty for two people!).
While the couscous is cooking, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil, heat the pan to atleast medium heat. Put the bay scallops in and cook for about 30 seconds - 1 minute (depending on size) then flip ONLY once!
Serve together and top with sweet basil to emphasize the sweetness in the bay scallops :)

BTW - this made Justin into a scallop lover! If you follow the prep, you can turn anyone into a scallop lover after this meal! :)