I blame it on Gordon. Ramsay, that is.

Sometimes, you have to remind yourself why some foods are not to your liking...

And so I bought a half pound of very fresh (squeaking fresh) scallops. 

Why did I do this, I wonder.  It's been years since I had scallops - and I do mean years.  I may not have been living in Virginia, as a matter of fact - it was that long ago.  I'm just not a fishy-fishy-fish person. 

I believe it was because I saw one Gordon Ramsay program which showcased him teaching a protege how to make scallops in his restaurant.  I was fascinated.  He held up the plate of scallops and sprinkled some kind of fairy dust on it from arms-length.  So artful!  Let me describe:  he held the plate in one hand, and a handful of magic in the other hand.  Whiff whiff whiff, hand held almost to his shoulder height,  with deft flicks of the wrist he lightly coated the scallops and then set about pan searing them.  He is such a perfectionist he actually threw out a few servings before producing one for the clientele.  Not because they would have tasted bad, but because the presentation was imperfect.  So in the garbage they went and he made his protege start from scratch.

I'm so impressionable.  The image stayed with me and I finally took the plunge and bought some fresh scallops.  Here is what I did:

Half pound of scallops.
2-3 T EVOO.
A heaping T of minced garlic in oil.  You can find small bottles of this in the produce section.

I put several T of pan searing flour into a baggie and shook the scallops in the sealed bag.  OK, OK, Gordon Ramsay I am not.  I have to walk before I can run, people!

The heat should be on medium-high and you want the oil to be nice and hot in the skillet. I ladled on the garlic and spread it around while the oil heated up. 

I artfully arranged the pieces in the skillet and watched over them.  After they started looking a little brown I flipped them and watched again.  When they were done I turned off the heat and put 'em on a plate and squirted a little lemon juice on them.

Sigh.  They looked perfectly scrumptious.  While I certainly wouldn't say they tasted disgusting I just don't care for the taste that much.  They were of a perfect texture and melted in my mouth.  I just am not a fan.

Maybe I should try a different recipe?  File this under "a great idea, too bad about the fish".

(NUMBER THREE in 2010)