Old-fashioned mashed potatoes

Scallops are usually sold out of their shells, cleaned, and ready to cook when purchased from your local fishmonger. One disadvantage of this seafood is that scallops are somewhat expensive and, due to their small size, may appear intimidating to cook. If you've cooked scallops before, you're probably already aware of the common mistakes everyone makes. However, searing is simple, and you'll probably spend more time perusing sauce options. Unless you eat them right out of the shell, scallops shine best in a sauce.

There are a plethora of sauces to choose from, and most white fish sauces will suffice. The lemon caper butter sauce complements the brininess of the scallop, while the buttery orange ginger sauce adds a citrine and spicy twist. But here's the catch. Sea scallops, particularly bay scallops, have a narrow top surface. This is why mashed potatoes will come in handy when it comes to "sauce catching". Make a batch of this creamy mashed potatoes recipe and serve it alongside your scallops. Mashed potatoes are relatively innocuous and allow the sweet scallops and your sauce of choice to sing while taking a back seat in the texture department to the scallops.