Scallops are a delicious and very in-demand ingredient, but these small mollusks are difficult to harvest, making them quite expensive. Knowing you may waste a good bit of change if you mess up your scallops is definitely intimidating, but here, you’ll find out how to tell when your scallops are perfectly cooked.

Use visual clues to avoid the most common mistakes with scallops: overcooking and undercooking. An undercooked scallop looks milky white and will probably be difficult to cut through; on the other hand, an over-cooked scallop is rubbery and difficult to chew, because all the moisture has been cooked out of it.

Perfectly cooked scallops are opaque in the center and golden brown on the outside; they should be firm, but buttery, and certainly not difficult to chew or cut through. Scallops only take a few minutes to sear, meaning over-cooking can happen very quickly, so don’t move your eyes away from the pan once you start cooking!