A Scallopy Conundrum

I  know scallopy is not a word, but this is my blog and that is the word I wanted to use.

I love asian style scallops, especially the ones made at Shanghai Restaurant. I asked the owner, Alex, how the chef got the crispy surface on the scallops and he vaguely said "he dusts them with potato starch."

Well, Alex has taken a sabbatical and I miss my scallops, so I buy the frozen ones at Trader Joe's and attempt a duplicate. The glaze is not really a problem, because I am easy as long as it is sweet and "asianish". I dilute hoisin sauce with orange juice or soy sauce or I use Thai sweet chili sauce in the bottle, whatever.

Cooking the scallops is the source of my scallopy conundrum. (Yeah, that word again, I know.)  Anyway, I have tried three ways and none are quite perfect.  My most successful method appears to be just use the iron skillet coated with some oil, season the surface of the scallops as desired, and cook them until there is a nice crust on both sides, then toss them in a bowl with my glaze of choice.

The second and third methods are similar and are such a mess.  I either coat them with flour or cornstarch (hey, Alex said 'potato starch' after all), shake off excess and put them into the hot skillet.  What a mess...stick, stick, stick.

I have an idea that Alex's chef deep fried them quickly in a wok.  I have bought a Fry Daddy.  Should I try that?  Any opinions out there appreciated.  (Please use comment button.)