- several slices bacon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 12 large sea scallops, side muscle removed, halved vertically
- 2 Tbs. minced fresh chives
Bacon-Wrapped Sea Scallops
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Shellfish, Can Be Prepared Ahead Active Time:
Start to Finish: 30 minutes
ingredients
directions
Place an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Line a broiler-pan bottom with foil and cover with the slotted broiler-pan top.
Start with 6 pieces of bacon. Spread them out on several layers of paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with two more layers of paper towels. Microwave on high until the bacon fat begins to melt but the bacon is still pliable, about 1½ minutes. Cut the bacon pieces in half lengthwise, then cut each bacon half in a piece long enough to wrap a half scallop—ideally, each piece will wrap two scallops. If the bacon is too short, microwave enough additional bacon to wrap all of the scallop halves. You may have some extra bacon (which you can finish cooking in the microwave and hand out to people who are hanging out in the kitchen).
Salt and pepper each side of the scallops. Wrap a piece of bacon around the middle of each scallop half and place on the broiler-pan top, pinning the bacon ends underneath the scallop. Broil until the scallops are just cooked and the edges of the bacon are brown, spinning the broiler pan around halfway through cooking, about 5 minutes. Skewer the bacon-wrapped scallops with toothpicks and transfer to a serving platter. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and chives before serving.
Notes
Remember to reduce the microwave cooking time if you are cooking less than 6 pieces at a time. For three pieces, we cooked the bacon for 1 minute. And watch the bacon carefully when it is under the broiler—some of it may crisp very quickly.
Don't worry about perfection. The bacon may not be perfectly wrapped around the scallop or part of the bacon may burn while broiling. You can fix the bacon-wrapping problem with the toothpick (though toothpicks and very crispy bacon don't mix - just do your best to make it look good). If the bacon burns, just break that piece off.
The cayenne pepper goes a long way, so be careful. You may want to make a few without the pepper for your guests that don't do spicy.
This recipe can also be made with shrimp instead of the scallops. Use 24 extra-large shrimp (1 pound), peeled and deveined.
You can prepare the wrapped scallops earlier in the day—cover the pan with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator until ready to broil.
Specialty Equipment
Sturdy toothpicks or other fun skewers.
This recipe appears in the following parties:
The Big Game
