Twice-Cooked Scallops

These scallops are first cooked sous vide and then finished in a hot sauté pan. (Sous vide, or “under vacuum,” is a technique where foods are vacuum sealed in food-grade plastic bags, then cooked slowly in a circulating hot water bath at precise temperatures; see a fuller discussion on page 199.) In all of our recipes using sous vide, we give you the option of substituting a zip-top bag for a vacuum-sealed one; as long as you are able to accurately control the temperature of your water bath, you will achieve a comparable result. It is important to squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag because this will affect how efficiently the heat is conducted through the food. The brining and first cook can be done as soon as you get the scallops into your kitchen. The first cooking seems to firm up the flesh and intensify the flavor. We utilize the first two steps even when we’re planning to serve the scallops in a raw, marinated preparation. It makes them easier to work with and gives them a slightly firmer texture. When we sear the scallops just before serving, we find that they cook more evenly and do not exude as much liquid as raw scallops do.