Sea Scallops

The Best Sea Scallops

If you’re a fan of large Sea Scallops, you’re going to love this recipe. I show you the very best way to cook them before adding any sauce, then I show you a “Secret Sauce” that I like to use on seafood that is just to die for. I use this sauce in my Salt and Pepper Calamari recipe and many other seafood related dishes. So, you can either learn the perfect and simple way of cooking these scallops or you can kick it up a notch and try this sweet and spicy Asian sauce.

Raw Sea Scallops straining in a colander.

Dry the Sea Scallops

For me, Sea Scallops aren’t the easiest to find and they usually come frozen. So, unless you live ocean side and lucky enough to buy them fresh, this is how you’ll find them. They need to be thawed to room temperature and strained. Then dabbed on paper towels to completely dry them out before cooking. Scallops have a ton of water in them already so, you don’t need to add any more to the pan when they’re being seared. A dry seasoned scallop will sear better and you’ll cut down on splatter.

Asian Sauce I use for many seafood recipes.

Secret Sauce for Sea Scallops

There are many different sauce recipes you can add to your cooked Sea Scallops. My two favorites are a white wine, garlic and Butter sauce and this “Secret” Asian Sauce. The Butter sauce is as easy as it sounds and it’s done in the pan after the scallops are cooked. The Asian Sauce is a mixture of 3 bottled sauces that, when mixed together, make one amazing dipping sauce and they can all be purchased from practically any Asian market or grocery store that sell oriental products. The bottled sauces are Hoisin Sauce, Black Bean Garlic Sauce and Sweet Chili Sauce.

I also have the most amazing Saffron Sauce recipe for Sea Scallops and I highly recommend you consider that recipe too before diving into this one. It’s like liquid gold!

Sea Scallops with Asian Secret Sauce from the PMGK YouTube Channel.

Sea Scallops Ingredients:

1 lbs Sea Scallops
2 tbsp Bacon Grease or Lard
1 Clove Garlic
1 tbsp Butter
1 pinch Blackened Seasoning
Kosher Salt and Pepper to Taste

Asian Sauce

1 part Black Bean Garlic Sauce
1 part Hoisin Sauce
2 parts Sweet Chili Sauce

Just watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to cook these Sea Scallops and make the secret Asian sauce.

Crab Dip

The Best Crab Dip

This Crab Dip is great to serve at home, parties or barbecues and it can easily be made, in advance, and kept refrigerated until needed. One of the best things about this dip is that it can be served hot or cold and either way is absolutely delicious. I show you how to prepare both and there’s only a few ingredients so, don’t worry about breaking the bank with grocery shopping.

Crab Meat for Crab Dip

For this Crab Dip recipe, I’m using real crab meat and I get it from a refrigerated can. If you want to save money, this is one way to do it. I bought this 16 oz. can for $13 bucks, which may sound expensive but consider the alternative. A pound of Crab legs is going to cost more for practically half the meat weight because of the shells. This can is solid meat. Savings can be taken a step further, however, if you’re willing to use imitation crab but, in all honesty, it won’t even be close to the same recipe and it absolutely won’t taste the same. If that’s all you have available, though, just make my Seafood and Crab recipe, instead. It’s really good and it’s great served as a dip with crackers.

Hot Baked Crab Dip with Parmesan and a sliced toasted French Baguette.

Cold or Hot Baked Crab Dip

To serve this Crab Dip cold, all you half to do is mix the ingredients and serve. Marinating the ingredients in your refrigerator for a half an hour or over night will improve the flavor but it isn’t necessary. Plus the ingredients are already cold so, it’s really something you can just play by ear.

For a hot baked dip, I just top it off, in an oven safe baking dish, with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven until it’s warm. If I’m serving the dip with a sliced baguette, I usually just toasted the pieces along with the baking of the dip.

If you you’re looking for other dip recipes, check out my Clam Dip, Broccoli and Cheese Dip, Spinach and Artichoke Dip and my Jalapeno Popper Dip recipes. FYI, if you drop the sour cream out of this Crab Dip recipe and add a package of wonton wrappers, it makes an excellent filling for fried Crab Rangoon’s.

Crab Dip video tutorial by poormansgourmet.

Crab Dip Ingredients:

1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Sour Cream
8 oz Crab Meat, canned claw
1 Jalapeno, diced
1 Green Onion, diced
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 pinch of Salt
1 pinch Blackened Seasoning
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated

Be sure to follow the instructions in the Crab Dip video tutorial and I’ll show exactly how to make it. This dish can be served cold immediately or marinated in the refrigerator for more flavor. If you’d like to serve this recipe warm, bake it in the oven at 350° Fahrenheit for 8 minutes, then serve.

National Potato Chips and National Chips and Dip Day

The History of Potato Chips

National Potato Chips Day is celebrated each year on March 14th. There is a fun story behind the invention of the Potato Chip and even an exact date that it was created. The first Potato Chip was made on August 24, 1853. Native American Chef, George Crum created the Potato chip in his restaurant the Moon Lake Lodge in Saratoga Springs, New York. An angry customer sent back his french fries say thing were too thick and soggy. In annoyance with the customer Chef Crum sliced them paper thin, over salted them and deep fried them to a crisp. When it was served to the customer he loved it. Others started asking for it as well. For many years it was know as the Saratoga Chip and now is Americas #1 snack food.

Chips and Sour Cream

One of our family favorites is Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips dipped in sour cream. PMGK introduced us to dipping them in plain sour cream and the kids instantly fell in love. My five year old opened the fridge today looking for a snack and said, “Why do we have sour cream and no chips”! I have to be better at keeping us stocked up on these because no one is happy when they go for them and we are out.

Chips and Dip

While we’re talking about Potato Chips I’d like to mention that March 23 is National Chips and Dip Day. PMGK made me the best cheese ball dip over the holidays. I have been asking him to film this for a while. It is so good. I love to buy these for Christmas and New Years but I knew my husband could make them better and I was right. Maybe you can persuade him to film it for us all by heading on over to our Patreon and making a request. He has however, filmed many of my favorite dip recipes already. They are: Clam Dip, Jalapeno Popper Dip, Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Chili Con Queso and Broccoli and Cheese Dip with Marinated Artichoke Hearts.

Give me a fountain drink and a bag of Salt and Vinegar Chips and I am one happy lady.

Flavored Chips

Salt and Vinegar chips were the first chip flavor to be created. They are my absolute favorite and have been since I was about 12 years old. I used to walk to the corner market and pick up a bag and a fountain drink and come home and sometimes eat the whole bag in one sitting. I loved them that much. I don’t know any one who doesn’t like chips. Even my healthy friends buy their vegan bags of chips from the health food store. Maybe now that we’ve shared with you some of our favorites you’re ready to go out and grab yourself a snack.