DCS, I'm jealous! I can never get the coral with the scallop here in the States.
Well, I can if I get them in the shell, but that's rare, and then I have to clean them (yuck). In any case, don't forget to remove that hard little bit of muscle on the side before you cook them.
For sauteeing, I DO like a very hot pan, with some clarified butter sizzling hot. The scallops can be either cold or room temp (it doesn't take long for them to warm up). Most important for a nice crust is that they be
absolutely dry; you can cheat a little and dip the flat sides in a little pregelatinized flour, but just S&P are enough if they are completely dry. Into the pan, let them brown, flip, brown, and serve. Or set aside and make your pan sauce; the carryover cooking will bring up their temperature a bit, so you really want to get them out of the pan before they're cooked through.
Yeah, the steak analogy is good. Since I even like scallops raw, I cook them very quickly, and they are still soft and translucent inside.
(Of course, you've probably cooked them already by the time you see this -- so how were they?
)