Cooking scallops for a seafood gratin

scottishminnie

I'm having dinner guests tomorrow night and one of the two dishes I'm making is the seafood gratin below.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/seafood-gratin-recipe.html

I've had to adapt it already as I couldn't get halibut or lobster! So, I've substituted the halibut with monkfish as it has a similar structure however on a whim I bought 6 large juicy scallops to replace the lobster. to be honest, whilst I like them, I have onlycooked scallops once before and they were chewy and rubbery, no doubt down to me overcooking.

How long would you cook the scallops for? I was thinking literally just a minute in the fish stock as they will be added to the final mixture which is oven baked for around 20 minutes.

Any seafood experts out there who can help with advice?

Thanks

meritaten

personally? I would pan fry them for no more than a minute each side, then add them to the gratin at the last minute before pouring the sauce over and adding the crumbs. I would think all the other ingredients would be cooked by then so would finish it under the grill. I think Monkfish is a good choice - its a firm fish with a good flavour and not likely to 'disappear' on you!

scottishminnie

Thanks, that seems like a sensible option. As you say the other fish will be cooked so perhaps just grilling the crust may be best. That would also avoid the prawns being rubbery too.

PasturesNew

Not a seafood expert, never touch the stuff ....but on the telly they always pan fry them for just 1-2 minutes tops.

.... I don't even know what a scallop is, but I know that's how they cook them.