Seafood is good for you, right? It’s become pretty common knowledge that various types of seafood are good inclusions in a healthy diet. But when you’re minding your cholesterol levels, you can never be too cautious. As you’ll see in the case of scallops. Scallops have a mild flavor and you’ll often find
them on a plate swimming in a sea of butter. In this case, scallops would not be a wise menu choice if you’re watching your cholesterol, but it’s not due to the scallops themselves.
Nutritional Qualities of Scallops
Like most seafood, scallops are relatively low in calories, fat, and cholesterol. According to the
USDA , one 3-ounce serving of plain, steamed scallops contains just 94 calories. It contains 35 mg of cholesterol, and 0.19 grams of both saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. In addition, it contains just 0.07 grams of monounsaturated fat, and an insignificant 0.008 grams of trans fats. So, what does all of this mean? Scallops are a low-calorie and low-cholesterol food. They are also low in fats — all types of fats.
Saturated fats can raise your cholesterol. Keeping an eye on the saturated fat content of your daily
food intake is important when you’re working to lower or control your cholesterol.
They recommend getting less than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fats. For someone who eats 2,000 calories each day, this is less than 16 grams of saturated fats.
Considering that scallops have far less than a single gram of saturated fat, they are a wise choice.
But those are plain scallops. If you go to a restaurant and order your scallops prepared with butter, you’re looking at an entirely different nutritional profile. Just one tablespoon of butter contains more than 7 grams of saturated fats.
If you’re looking to indulge in scallops, but you’re also managing your cholesterol, you’ll need to be aware of what’s added to the scallops during the cooking process. The recipes we’ve found are pretty typical scallop recipes, meaning some are better for you than others.
1. Lemon Butter Scallops
Yep, butter. But this recipe manages to make one tablespoon of the decadent stuff last for four servings. So, you get just 1/4 tablespoon, or under 2 grams of saturated fat per serving. This is your typical simple, stovetop scallop dish. And it looks divine.
The recipe:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound scallops
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh
parsley leaves
Instructions
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water
and thoroughly pat dry. Season scallops with salt and pepper,
to taste. Working in batches, add scallops to the skillet in a single layer
and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and translucent in the center,
about 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside and keep warm.
To make the lemon butter sauce, melt 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet.
Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1
minute. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve scallops immediately with lemon butter sauce, garnished with
parsley, if desired.
2. Orzo Salad with Scallops
Orzo is a small pasta, and it’s great for salads. This recipe calls for quite a bit of olive oil — 1/4 cup plus another tablespoon. You can easily cut that by at least half to slash the saturated fat.
Olive oil is a good source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, though, so keeping some of the oil in is quite alright.
The recipe:
12 oz orzo {cooked according to directions
on package} 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp
olive oil 2 tbsp white balsamic
vinegar 1 garlic clove {minced}
1 cup of cherry tomatoes {halved}
1 orange bell pepper {diced}
1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives
1 - 1 1/2 cup of arugula
1 lb of scallops
Instructions
While the orzo is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium - high heat saute the garlic for 2 minutes {until fragrant} add in the tomatoes and peppers cook about 5 minutes {the peppers and tomatoes will begin to char} combine the orzo, tomato/peppers, arugula, and olives with the remaining olive oil and vinegar season with salt and pepper to taste in a non-stick pan, sear the scallops over high heat cook 2 - 3 minutes per side {be careful not to over-cook} top the orzo salad with the scallops
