How long does it take to soak dried scallops

Dried scallops are dried products of scallops with very high nutritional value. They have the functions of nourishing yin and kidney, harmonizing the stomach and regulating the middle. Making scallops into dried scallops is mainly to facilitate transportation and storage. We must soak the dried scallops before eating them. If they have not been cooked, we will lack skills in soaking them. So, how long does it take to soak scallops? Let’s take a look below.

When selecting scallops, you should pay attention to its color. First of all, it should be bright yellow and not turn black or white. The ones with white frost have a stronger umami flavor. The shape should be as complete as possible, short cylindrical, firm and full, with dry and hard meat. There should be no incomplete cracks. In short, high-quality and fresh scallops are light yellow in color and about the size of a child's fist. The ones with smaller grains are second best, and the ones with black color are third best.

How to soak dried scallops?

Dried scallops need to be soaked before cooking, but the method is relatively simple. You can soak them in a small amount of hot water about 8 hours in advance. When they open up when you squeeze them lightly with your fingers, they are ready and can be added to the dish with the original soup. You can also wash it with cold water, put it in a bowl, add appropriate amount of green onion, ginger, cooking wine and fresh soup, steam it in a steamer for about 2 hours, and then gently pinch it with your hands to make it fall into shreds, and add the original soup to the dish.

It is better to use steam to soak dried scallops. Steam soaking is similar to hot water soaking. The difference is that steam soaking uses water vapor to transfer heat, which avoids the contact of the dried product with a large amount of water, which is beneficial to maintaining the freshness of the dried product and keeping the appearance of the raw material itself intact.

1. Soak the scallops in cold water for about 2 hours, remove the outer edge fascia, and then rinse with clean water.

2. Put the dried scallops in a small bowl and add appropriate amount of Shaoxing wine to remove the fishy smell and increase the sweet taste. Then put the dried scallops in a steamer and steam them over medium heat for about 1 hour until they can be easily separated by hand. Finally, soak the dried scallops in the cooking wine in the bowl for later use.

3. The cooking wine used to soak the scallops contains the essence of the scallops, so do not discard it when cooking. Add it to the dish with the scallops to enhance the flavor and freshness.