Thread: REVIEW: Trader Joe's Scallops Wrapped in Uncured Bacon with Brown SugarGlaze

"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> This seems to be a new product. I didn't notice
> it until recently.
>
> I just ate my fourth box of these guys, and
> they're great. They're raw scallops wrapped in
> raw bacon with a little skewer holding them
> together, then frozen. Sure, I could make this
> from scratch, but it's so convenient to just
> open the box. You pay for this convenience,
> it's a bit pricey at $5.99 for a box of 10,
> but otherwise I'd have to buy a whole package
> of bacon plus the scallops. I think it's a
> good value.
>
> It's not pure meat. The title implies a brown
> sugar glave, which is not visible on the raw
> product. (No sauce packet is provided.) The
> ingrediants list also discloses celery juice
> as an ingrediant.
>
> I don't follow the directions on the package,
> because my oven is broken. I make them in
> my big cast iron pot at moderate heat, turning
> to low when they've been adequately browned
> on both sides.
>
> My one complaint about this product is that
> a lot of liquid is released by the scallops
> and bacon during cooking, which then boils off
> leaving a considerable amount of fond. I can
> see and smell that I'm losing a lot of flavor
> when I'm soaking and scrubbing the pot out.
> That just seems wrong to me.
>
Raw scallops always release a lot of liquid. And bacon releases grease.
I'm not sure why this surprises you. But, as you say, you're on your fourth
box of these things so obviously you aren't dissappointed in the product.

How about you get your oven repaired and cook them per the package
directions? If it were me I wouldn't want "sauce" on bacon-wrapped
scallops. I'd probably cook them on a slotted broiler pan in the oven to
catch the drippings for easy clean-up. But I can't see what you're seeing
so that's just a guess on my part

Jill

On Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:48:04 -0500, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:


>Raw scallops always release a lot of liquid. And bacon releases grease.
>I'm not sure why this surprises you. But, as you say, you're on your fourth
>box of these things so obviously you aren't dissappointed in the product.

No they don't. If they have any sort of preservative they will
release the liquid. If they are "dry-packed", then they will not.

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

"Christine Dabney" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:48:04 -0500, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Raw scallops always release a lot of liquid. And bacon releases grease.
>>I'm not sure why this surprises you. But, as you say, you're on your
>>fourth
>>box of these things so obviously you aren't dissappointed in the product.
>
> No they don't. If they have any sort of preservative they will
> release the liquid. If they are "dry-packed", then they will not.
>
> Christine
> --
> http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com



He didn't say they were "dry packed". Just that they were frozen. And raw
bacon of course extrudes drippings.

Jill

On Feb 13, 4:56*pm, Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> wrote:
> This seems to be a new product. *I didn't notice
> it until recently.
>
> I just ate my fourth box of these guys, and
> they're great. *They're raw scallops wrapped in
> raw bacon with a little skewer holding them
> together, then frozen.

I don't get the bit with scallops and bacon. My other half had it one
time at a very nice resto, and said the bacon overwhelmed the
scallops, plus they topped it with melted Swiss cheese.

Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting - kind of a
chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.

Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
own eyes.

On Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:09:21 -0800 (PST), Kalmia
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Feb 13, 4:56*pm, Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> wrote:
>> This seems to be a new product. *I didn't notice
>> it until recently.
>>
>> I just ate my fourth box of these guys, and
>> they're great. *They're raw scallops wrapped in
>> raw bacon with a little skewer holding them
>> together, then frozen.
>
>I don't get the bit with scallops and bacon. My other half had it one
>time at a very nice resto and said the bacon overwhelmed the
>scallops,

TIAD

>plus they topped it with melted Swiss cheese.

TIAD²

jmcquown wrote:
> "Christine Dabney" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
>> On Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:48:04 -0500, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Raw scallops always release a lot of liquid. And bacon releases
>>> grease.
>>> I'm not sure why this surprises you. But, as you say, you're on
>>> your fourth
>>> box of these things so obviously you aren't dissappointed in the
>>> product.
>>
>> No they don't. If they have any sort of preservative they will
>> release the liquid. If they are "dry-packed", then they will not.
>>
>> Christine
>> --
>> http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com
>
>
>
> He didn't say they were "dry packed". Just that they were frozen.
> And raw bacon of course extrudes drippings.
>
> Jill
They extrude drippings? WTF does that mean?

In article <[email protected]>,
Bruce <[email protected]> wrote:

> jmcquown wrote:
> > And raw bacon of course extrudes drippings.
> >
> > Jill

> They extrude drippings? WTF does that mean?

Betcha a can of TaB that she meant "exude."

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller
Dom Schallerovych 2-10-2010

"Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
>dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting - kind of a
>chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.

>Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
>of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
>own eyes.

Life is fraught with Perils.

"Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Bruce <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> jmcquown wrote:
>> > And raw bacon of course extrudes drippings.
>> >
>> > Jill
>
>> They extrude drippings? WTF does that mean?
>
> Betcha a can of TaB that she meant "exude."
>
> --
> -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
> http://web.me.com/barbschaller
> Dom Schallerovych 2-10-2010



I'll throw in a case of ginger ale and bet you were correct Sometimes my
fingers type letters I cannot explain. Bacon leads to bacon grease, dude.

Jill

On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:25:45 -0500, "cybercat" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
> "Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
> >dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting - kind of a
> >chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.
>
> >Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
> >of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
> >own eyes.
>
> Life is fraught with Perils.
>
Who's to say the decaf pot wasn't loaded with caffeinated and that it
was done by a non-coffee drinker who didn't care.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Mark Thorson" wrote

> they're great. They're raw scallops wrapped in
> raw bacon with a little skewer holding them
> together, then frozen. Sure, I could make this
> from scratch, but it's so convenient to just
> open the box. You pay for this convenience,

> My one complaint about this product is that
> a lot of liquid is released by the scallops
> and bacon during cooking, which then boils off
> leaving a considerable amount of fond. I can
> see and smell that I'm losing a lot of flavor
> when I'm soaking and scrubbing the pot out.
> That just seems wrong to me.

They were probably water injected a bit which raises the weight but also
lets them flavor them a bit (celery juice possibly). Done right, thus can
actually not be all that bad of a thing. Done wrong, you get watery mushy
scallops. I'm guessing from your report these are done right.

> I don't know what I should do to either prevent
> this loss or recover it. I suppose the
> traditional approach would be to make a sauce
> out of it, but the original food item is just
> fine without a sauce. So I'm not quite sure
> what to do. I'm tempted to make a batch of rice
> in the same pot, which then would be flavored
> by the fond. But usually I'm not in the mood
> for rice when I prepare these things, because
> I eat all my meat in the morning and if I eat
> any carbs that's in the afternoon or evening
> to prevent sleep problems.

I have an idea. Do you like green beans? Fresh would be better but canned
will be ok or frozen. Toss them in there with a minimum of water and cook
down to almost dry. Should have a nice flavor to them and you could quickly
reheat them later for a fast simple noshe. Spinach or some of the milder
asian mustard greens would be my secondary choices though they may be too
'strong' for this delicate flavor. Nappa cabbage might be a good one to try
and would cook fast enough (just rinse and add wet then wilt).

On Feb 14, 8:31 am, "cshenk" <cshe...@cox.net> wrote:
>
> They were probably water injected a bit which raises the weight but also
> lets them flavor them a bit (celery juice possibly). Done right, thus can
> actually not be all that bad of a thing. Done wrong, you get watery mushy
> scallops. I'm guessing from your report these are done right.

Chances are good that it's not as benign as you portray. Scallops are
very often treated with STP, sodium tripolyphosphate, which increases
the scallops water retentiveness drastically. So you not only can't
sear them properly but you also pay scallop prices for water. If the
added water exceeds 80%, but not until then, regulations in the U.S.
require the scallops to be labeled "water added, scallop product".
This is the opposite of the "dry packed" scallops, which is what you
need to look for. I don't know about the TJ product. They used to
advertise that their scallops did not contain STP but they may have
changed. I'd certainly want to read the fine print on the package.
-aem

On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:25:45 -0500, cybercat wrote:

> "Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
>>dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting - kind of a
>>chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.
>
>>Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
>>of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
>>own eyes.
>
> Life is fraught with Perils.

....but also pearls, thank god.

your pal,
blake

"blake murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:1ddbz2tqivsza$.19hyohikrm9ds$.[email protected] ..
> On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:25:45 -0500, cybercat wrote:
>
>> "Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
>>>dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting - kind of a
>>>chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.
>>
>>>Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
>>>of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
>>>own eyes.
>>
>> Life is fraught with Perils.
>
> ...but also pearls, thank god.
>
OMG you SPOKE to me! *thunk*

On Feb 13, 5:09*pm, Kalmia <tweeny90...@mypacks.net> wrote:

> snipped
> Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
> dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting *- kind of a
> chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.
>
> Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
> of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
> own eyes.

Not so sure I'd blame the coffee...

I experience the same problem these days when I eat serious chocolate
in the evening. A big mug of hot chocolate made from scratch using
unsweetened cocoa is enough to keep me wide eyed into the wee small
hours. ARGHH...

Lots of chocolate mousse recipes, in addition to significant amounts
of dark chocolate, contain expresso in either liquid or powdered
form. When you combine it with the chocolate, a serving of mousse
could easily add up to the amount of caffeine in a big cup of leaded
coffee.

Nancy T

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> This seems to be a new product. I didn't notice
> it until recently.
>
> I just ate my fourth box of these guys, and
> they're great. They're raw scallops wrapped in
> raw bacon with a little skewer holding them
> together, then frozen. Sure, I could make this
> from scratch, but it's so convenient to just
> open the box. You pay for this convenience,
> it's a bit pricey at $5.99 for a box of 10,
> but otherwise I'd have to buy a whole package
> of bacon plus the scallops. I think it's a
> good value.
>

We make them ourselves, another thing to try is Hawaiian bacon (what we call
it). Take scallop sized chunks of pineapple and wrap them with bacon, and broil
them like you would the scallops. They are great!

Scotty

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> "Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
> >
> > My one complaint about this product is that
> > a lot of liquid is released by the scallops
> > and bacon during cooking, which then boils off
> > leaving a considerable amount of fond. I can
> > see and smell that I'm losing a lot of flavor
> > when I'm soaking and scrubbing the pot out.
> > That just seems wrong to me.

So broil them on a slotted broiler. After take the juice and whatever is burnt
to the bottom of the broiler and scrap it into a wok or fry pan, I use a wok.
Add some chopped onion, some chopped hot pepper, and other spices as desired
and cook it almost burnt. Then make some sweet rice (sticky rice) and use the
sauce (cooked down to a paste) to dip the sweet rice in and enjoy.

Scotty
> >
> Raw scallops always release a lot of liquid. And bacon releases grease.
> I'm not sure why this surprises you. But, as you say, you're on your fourth
> box of these things so obviously you aren't dissappointed in the product.
>
> How about you get your oven repaired and cook them per the package
> directions? If it were me I wouldn't want "sauce" on bacon-wrapped
> scallops. I'd probably cook them on a slotted broiler pan in the oven to
> catch the drippings for easy clean-up. But I can't see what you're seeing
> so that's just a guess on my part
>
> Jill

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
> "Melba's Jammin'" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > Bruce <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> jmcquown wrote:
> >> > And raw bacon of course extrudes drippings.
> >> >
> >> > Jill
> >
> >> They extrude drippings? WTF does that mean?
> >
> > Betcha a can of TaB that she meant "exude."
> >
> > --
> > -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
> > http://web.me.com/barbschaller
> > Dom Schallerovych 2-10-2010
>
>
>
> I'll throw in a case of ginger ale and bet you were correct Sometimes my
> fingers type letters I cannot explain. Bacon leads to bacon grease, dude.
>
> Jill

Sometimes I think it's best that I don't spell well. It makes it easier to for
me to understand what folks are trying to say No preconceived notions!

Scotty

On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:17:42 -0500, cybercat wrote:

> "blake murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:1ddbz2tqivsza$.19hyohikrm9ds$.[email protected] ..
>> On Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:25:45 -0500, cybercat wrote:
>>
>>> "Kalmia" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Speaking of sleep problems, I succumbed to an invitation for a late
>>>>dessert the other night with some friends after a meeting - kind of a
>>>>chocolate mousse thing - agh - I was awake til 2.
>>>
>>>>Or else the decaf wasn't really decaf. I hate when they bring a cupful
>>>>of coffee to the table - I'd rather see that orange topped pot with my
>>>>own eyes.
>>>
>>> Life is fraught with Perils.
>>
>> ...but also pearls, thank god.
>>
> OMG you SPOKE to me! *thunk*

what, toots? i've been here, it's you who took a powder.

your pal,
blake