Are there things you'd love to cook at home but are afraid to try in your own kitchen?

I have readers who are great cooks but still only enjoy things like good quality tuna or sea scallops as a high-end restaurant meal.

There's mystery around how to sear tuna and keep it just right. There is even more mystery about thawing sea scallops and searing them so that they are just perfect. But if you are trying to save money and still enjoy fabulous meals, these mysteries can be easily solved. You can enjoy great seafood at home without frying it in a batter. Let me help you with a few basics that may solve your biggest problems and help you enjoy amazing seafood at home. Along the way, you will learn that those fancy restaurants have been keeping a few secrets—like how really fast a great seafood dish comes together.

First, buying high-quality seafood confounds some folks. In these days of rapid transportation and distribution, this shouldn't pose too much of a problem. If you live near a good seafood market, it becomes even easier.

Talk to the fishmonger. Ask them what has been flown in fresh. If something says “Previously frozen,” move over to the freezer section. There you will find things that have been frozen right on the boat and shipped in a freezer so you can thaw it yourself—avoiding worry about how long it has been waiting in a bin at the store.

Buy things that are individually quick frozen if you can. These would be the tuna steaks in individually wrapped portions or the sea scallops that may be frozen in a bunch but have the bag vacuum-sealed around them.

Second, how you thaw frozen seafood can make a real difference in the final flavor. So follow the package instructions if there are any.

I like to thaw frozen tuna or scallops out of their packaging in a colander set over a bowl. Cover the whole contraption and leave it in the refrigerator overnight or for a day. Letting the liquids drain off the frozen product keeps it from getting sodden and squishy—you want your seafood to be gently returned back to its original form without sitting in extra liquids.

Once it is nearly thawed, you can gently prod any excess ice off the meat so that it is ready to cook when you need it.

Third, you need to do a little bit (5 minutes) of preparation before you begin cooking.

For scallops, you need to remove the small white muscle on the side of the meat—it looks like part of the scallop and it is. But when it's cooked, it turns tough and may wreck your final meal.

Both tuna steaks and scallops can benefit from a few minutes resting on a paper towel while you season them before searing them. This just allows the outer surface of the meat to get dry enough to sear well.

While you are getting ready, get the rest of your meal ready now. Set the table, make the salad or get whatever accompaniments prepped. This is because the actual cooking of your seafood will take no longer than 10 minutes—three or four to heat the pan and six or seven to sear the seafood!

Finally, heat a grill pan or heavy skillet until it is very hot. Add a touch of oil to keep your seafood from sticking.

Season your tuna or scallops and then place them in gently in the hot oil. Leave them for two to three minutes without touching them at all.

If you are cooking scallops, turn them carefully and cook them for another two to three minutes or just until they are barely opaque throughout. Remove them to a warm platter or a dish with the rest of your meal ready. Enjoy them immediately with a touch of lemon.

If you are cooking tuna, you have to decide how rare you want your tuna. If you want it rare, as they serve it in most restaurants, turn it after three minutes and cook it just for another few minutes until it is still red on the inside. Enjoy sliced thinly or just as you would a steak.

Here is my favorite recipe for seared sea scallops as part of a larger meal.

Sea Scallops with Mushrooms, Shrimp and Zoodles

8 to 12 jumbo sized sea scallops, thawed
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cups spiralized zucchini “zoodles”
1to 2 cups thawed fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, divided
½ cup dry white wine (more if you want a sauce from the pan)
6-8 Lemon wedges

Trim off the small muscle on the side of each scallop. Lay the scallops out on a paper towel and season them on both sides with Old Bay Seasoning. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons oil and one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook them until they are golden brown. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Stir the zoodles into the mushrooms. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the shrimp, dill, Old Bay and white wine. Let it simmer while you sear the scallops. Put another large skillet on the stove. Add one tablespoon of oil to the empty skillet. Heat the skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles when you test it. Place the scallops in the hot pan using tongs so you don't get splattered with oil. Leave the scallops for two minutes—while you turn the heat off the other skillet and put the mushrooms, zoodles and shrimp on a platter. Pour any liquid from the zoodle pan over the platter. Turn the scallops and sear them on the other side for two minutes. Place them over the other ingredients on the platter. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately.