Pan fried scallops

I love scallops! I didn't use to eat seafood much back home, but since Z infected me with his enthusiasm for (and good cooking of) seafood, I am now a fan. Yesterday night, Z defrosted a tupperware of scallops that he bought from Old Billingsgate Market some time ago. Despite it being a few weeks old, once defrosted, they looked (and smelled) very fresh indeed.

Pan frying the scallops with garlic

All done! Some bits of garlic were a bit burnt, I ate it all anyway:)

We had this for lunch today, along with a "Cheat's Paella". I called it a paella because it had chorizo in it, though I am by no means claiming it to be authentic. I fried some red onions, with some chorizo. Then I added a little tumeric powder and some paprika, as I love the colour and the hint of smokiness that it gives. I then tipped some long grain rice (I didn't have any arborio rice) into the pan, and gave it a quick stir. I tipped everything into a rice cooker, and pourred some chicken stock into the rice pot. 20-30 minutes later, the rice was done. No fuss at all, and really quick to do. No pictures of the rice I'm afraid, I was a bit too hungry by then!

Here's an outline (I don't really dare to call it a recipe!) of how I cooked the scallops.

10-12 fresh scallops
Juice of half a lemon
A teaspoon of lemon zest
3-4 cloves of garlic
Salt to season
1 tablespoon of oil (I used vegetable oil, any oil without strong flavour will do)

1. Heat a frying pan with the oil to high heat, and add the garlic. Turn it down to medium heat after about 10 seconds (before the garlic turns brown)
2. Add the scallops, and pan fry on each side for about 3 minutes until caramelised (depending on how big your scallops are)
3. Add lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Add salt to season.
4. Use a fork to check if the scallops are cooked. Be careful not to overcook it, otherwise it'll turn rubbery.
5. Serve with lemon wedges.