Foil-Grilled Scallops (ホタテのホイル焼き, Hotate no Hoiru-yaki)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Japanese fish grill, toaster oven, or conventional oven
• •Covered frying pan as a stovetop stand-in
• •Heavy-duty aluminum foil
• •Shallow individual bowls for serving the opened packets

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the scallops

   Remove the small side muscle from each scallop if your fishmonger has not done it. Pat the scallops dry, sprinkle lightly with the salt, and let them stand for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Pat them dry again. The salt firms the surface and draws out loose water, so the broth tastes of scallop, not packing liquid. They should smell clean and sweet. If the smell is sharp or sour, don't hide it under butter.

2. 2

   Mix the seasoning

   Stir together the dashi, sake, shōyu, and mirin. Taste it. It should be gently seasoned, not salty, because the scallops, mushrooms, and butter will all add their own weight inside the packet.

   Fresh dashi gives the broth a clear back note. Powdered stock makes the packet taste salty before it tastes of scallop.
3. 3

   Build the packets

   Heat a fish grill, toaster oven, or oven to 425°F, 220°C. Tear four large sheets of foil, about 30cm long. Set one square of konbu in the center of each sheet, then add the mushrooms and negi. Place 3 scallops on each bed, spoon over a little of the seasoning, and set one piece of butter on top. The konbu and mushrooms lift the scallops away from direct metal heat and lend their flavor to the broth below.

4. 4

   Seal the foil

   Bring the long edges of each foil sheet together above the food and fold them down twice. Crimp the ends tightly, but leave a little headroom over the scallops. A tight seal keeps the precious juices inside; the space above the food lets the heat move gently around the scallops instead of pressing everything flat.

5. 5

   Cook gently

   Cook the packets in the fish grill, toaster oven, or oven for 8 to 10 minutes. In a covered frying pan, cook them over medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Open one packet away from your face at the early mark and look. The scallops should be opaque through the center, glossy on the surface, and springy when touched. If the center is still translucent, reseal and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.

   The first packet is your truth-teller. Scallops overcook quickly, so checking early is better than hoping politely.
6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Rest the packets for 2 minutes, then set each opened packet into a shallow bowl. Spoon the butter-soy dashi broth over the scallops and finish with yuzu peel and mitsuba if using. Serve at once with rice, and tell everyone to drink or spoon the broth. That is not extra sauce. It is the dish keeping its promise.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for dry-packed scallops, preferably Hokkaido hotate, and ask when they were thawed if sold defrosted. Wet-packed scallops shed a milky liquid in the packet and shrink before they ever taste sweet.
• •Do not cut large scallops into small pieces unless they are enormous. Their thickness protects them, letting the outside set while the center stays tender.
• •The foil packet should leak nothing. If you hear liquid spitting onto the pan, the broth is escaping, and that is the part you worked for. Move the packet to a bowl and pinch the fold shut.
• •Use the butter with restraint. Butter and shōyu are a familiar Hokkaido pairing, but the butter is there to round the scallop liquor, not cover it.

Advance Preparation

• •Fresh dashi can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Use only a small amount here, then save the rest for soup or simmered vegetables.
• •The mushrooms and negi can be cut a few hours ahead and refrigerated in a covered container.
• •The packets can be assembled up to 2 hours ahead and kept refrigerated. Cook them straight from the refrigerator, adding 1 minute if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 195g)