Bacon Wrapped Scallops are a great way to make your guests happy. People usually like bacon and scallops together one of the most popular ways to prepare them. It can be hard to cook them perfectly, but with our chef tutorial, you'll be able to do it in about 30 minutes.
This dish is great as an appetizer or main course. The scallops should be cooked just enough so that they are slightly pink in the center, and the bacon should be crispy.
Our delicious Bacon Wrapped Scallops recipe will give your guests an unforgettable experience.
⬇️ Table of Contents
I have always admired perfectly cooked golden brown scallops. The mark of a great cook. Now, when it comes to adding bacon and getting it to cook correctly, that can be a challenge. Did you happen to see the picture above? Notice the perfectly cut-in-half scallop? Today you learn how to cook these beautiful scallops to exquisite perfection.
Ingredients
A general rule for plating food is to plate items in threes. When scallop shopping, decide between 3 to 5 scallops per guest. For this post, we will work with 3 per guest.
Dinner Party of 4
Sea Salt - 1 tsp
Scallops - 12 Jumbo Colossal I buy 1 or 2 extra scallops in case one breaks or tears.
Slice of Bacon -12
I will show you 2 ways to use the bacon. 1) Using thin-cut bacon 2) Using thick-cut Sous Vide Bacon)
Shopping
While grocery shopping, you're likely to encounter two types of scallops. The sea scallop is also known as the jumbo colossal sea scallop. Then there's the small bay scallop. You want the large sea scallops. The fishmonger at the counter, request them to pick out the scallops that you want instead of them randomly picking. They will be happy to help. Look for the ones that are similar in size. Promotes even cooking.
Next, there are 2 types of scallops regarding the way there are packaged and shipped. The way the scallops are packaged makes a large difference in the way the scallops cook and taste.
- "Dry Packed" Scallops
- "Wet Packed" Scallops
Dry-packed scallops will have zero chemical additives and will be shipped on ice. These scallops have a slight pink hue and have a sweet aroma.
Wet-packed scallops will be very white in color and soaked in a solution containing water and phosphate. The phosphate is a preservative that offers a longer shelflife and adds an almost soap-like flavor.
Make Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Prep The Oven
Set the oven to 450 degrees. Move the oven rack to the lower-middle position.
The Bacon
Remove the bacon from the refrigerator and place it on the counter for 10 minutes before starting. This will do two things. First, the bacon will be easier to wrap. Second, it will cook evenly.
Select the type of bacon to use. Two bacon thickness options:
- Shopping for Thin-Cut bacon. This is very important to how the bacon will cook alongside the scallop. It is very easy for the scallop to finish cooking before the bacon is done.
- Shopping for Thick Cut bacon. The bacon will require the technique of sous vide. Which is placing the bacon in a temperature-safe bag and cooking in a temp-controlled water bath overnight. If you come to eat at my fine dining restaurant this is how our bacon-wrapped scallops would be prepared.
The Scallops
Remove the scallops from the refrigerator right before applying the bacon. When the scallops go into the oven, you want them to still be cold, if possible, while using room temperature bacon. This will give the bacon a head start cooking.
Bacon Wrapping The Scallops
Begin by inspecting the scallops. Often the abductor muscle will still be attached. This muscle is responsible for opening and closing the scallop shell. Yes, it is edible, yet it has a chewy texture and should be removed. It will easily peel right off.
Once the scallop is wrapped, secure the bacon with a toothpick.
Cooking the Scallops
I have a technique to share that I created while learning how to get the results of a perfect oven-roasted scallop. The tip is to use a cupcake tin during the first 12 minutes of the cooking time.
Place the cupcake tin into the preheating oven while you prep the scallops. When it's time to cook, place each scallop into the tray. Spray with non-stick cooking oil.
The preheated cupcake tin will create radiant heat all around each scallop and help cook the bacon quicker verse simply placing them into a hot oven.
Roast the scallops in the oven for 12 minutes.
While they cook, prepare a cookie sheet with a roasting rack on top. The roasting rack allows the air within the oven to move around the scallop, which results in an evenly cooked scallop.
Once the timer goes off, remove the scallops from the oven. Transfer the scallops over to the roasting rack. Place the cookie sheet into the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Timing comes down to personal preference, plus every oven cooks a little bit differently.
Cooking Tip: The Cupcake Tin
The liquid in the bottom of the tray is mostly bacon grease fat with some of the scallop's natural waters. Those natural waters would simply steam off in the oven under normal cooking techniques. Using our way those waters were retained and used to our advantage to help keep the scallops moist.
The Sauce
Tangerine Cilantro Beurre Blanc Sauce
Begin making the sauce by reducing white wine on the stovetop over medium-high heat and reduce it by half. The idea is to concentrate the flavor and cook off the alcohol.
🍷 1 Cup of Wine White: wine suggestions - pinot grigio for an acidic balance, or try a chardonnay for a big flavor pop.
While the wine is reducing, add chopped shallots and minced garlic
🧅 Shallots 1 Tablespoon
🧄 Garlic 1 teaspoon
Once the wine has been reduced, add 3 Tablespoons of tangerine juice, cook down for 1 minute. To finish the sauce mount it with butter. Add 2 Tablespoons to start, then add more if the consistency needs it. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped 🌿 cilantro and 🧂 sea salt to taste.
Selecting Scallops
Scallops are a type of shellfish found in both fresh and saltwater. A high-quality variety of seafood is widely known for its delicate and sweet flavor. They're typically round or semi-circular in shape and have a fan-like tail. Scallops are a good source of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, and selenium.
Bay Scallops are small, sweet, and typically found in the North Atlantic Ocean
Sea Scallops are larger than bay scallops and can be found all over the world; they're often called "the lobster of the shellfish world" because they're so meaty.
Diver Scallops are what they sound like, divers going underneath the water and handpicking the best or largest scallops. This is ecologically the best way to harvest these priced sea mollusks.
Dayboat Scallops are caught within 24 hours of setting sail. This guarantees the maximum freshness possible.
Calico Scallops are named for their colorful patterning. They have a pale pink body with darker pink markings on their shells. They are popular in restaurants for plating presentations.
Scallop Faqs
No. Water is not a scallop's friend. They should smell like the sea, sweet and clean. If you must rinse them, make sure to pat them very dry before wrapping.
Yes, but be aware that the natural moisture is reduced anytime you freeze fish or seafood. When water freezes, it expands. The molecules inside the scallop get squeezed. Overall, freezing scallops is a poor idea.
With any frozen food, never use hot water. Hot water will discolor and change the exterior texture. To unthaw, place them inside a bowl and fill it with cold water. The process will take around 15 minutes to complete.
📖 Recipe Card
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- Sea Scallops 12 (12 )
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set the temperature to 450 degrees. The oven needs at least 15 minutes to truly be preheated.Place a cupcake tin inside the oven while preheating. Stage one of the baking will a use cupcake tin. #perfectlycooked
- Prep the bacon: Select between thick-cut or thin-cut bacon.Thin-Cut is the easiest option, but cannot beat sous vide bacon. When shopping look for a package of bacon with the most meat and the least amount of fat (the white stuff).Thick-Cut requires planning ahead. The bacon must first be sous vide cooked for 8 hours. This will highly reduce the amount of fat in the bacon. This is the key to getting cooked, non-fatty bacon. You can visit our post covering everything you need to know below the recipe card.Working with room temperature bacon is suggested. It will wrap and secure tighter than cold bacon. Secondly, the room temp bacon will begin cooking as soon as it enters the oven. Cold bacon will increase your cook time.
- Prep the scallops: Do not remove them from the refrigerator until you are ready to begin wrapping. The scallops need to be cold when they enter the oven. This gives the bacon a head start cooking, while the cold scallops warm up. This promotes even cooking.Key Tip:: Room temperature bacon - Cold scallops when entering the oven.Pat scallops dry with a paper towel before wrapping.Remove the abductor muscle from the scallops if present.
- Bacon wrapping the scallops: Place a scallop on a cutting board with the thickest side up. Take a piece of room temp bacon, starting with the skinny end, and wrap around the scallop. Then secure with one toothpick.
- Baking: Remove the preheated cupcake tin from the oven and add the scallops to the cupcake tin. Sprinkle with sea salt.Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the cupcake tin from the oven.Transfer the scallops to a cookie sheet with a roasting rack and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until they're properly cooked to your standards.
Video
Notes
- Shopping for scallops, select dry-packed
- Avoid frozen scallops
- Pat scallops dry before cooking
- Sous vide bacon is the single best technique to fine dining restaurant quality bacon wrapped scallops
- Remove the abductor muscle is present
- Cook with cold scallops, and room temperature bacon
- Serve asap once out of the oven
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