Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Bacon-wrapped scallops


past51511

Recommended Posts

OK, the thing is that bacon takes longer to cook than scallops. So, if you want the bacon to be crisp around the scallops it needs to be mostly cooked before being wrapped around them. Therefore, I prefer waterchestnuts wrapped with bacon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, a total Southern classic.

They are really dead simple to make. We used to make them at the beach all the time, often after having downed several beers, and serve them along with boiled-in-the-shell shrimp. If I can make them successfully while drunk, you can certainly do it sober. :smile:

There are only a couple of tips/tricks to relate to you. One, if you have a choice between larger scallops or smaller scallops, go with the larger ones, as they are easier to wrap (small ones are kind of a pain to work with but can of course still be used.) And obviously you want the freshest scallops you can possibly find.

Two, it helps if you pan-fry the bacon strips a little bit first, just enough to render some of the fat out but not enough to brown the bacon or get it crisp; you still want it to be limber and flexible--a few minutes over low heat at most. The reason for this is that you don't want to overcook the scallops and make them tough; cooking the bacon a minute or two means that it will brown up that much faster, reducing the risk of turning your expensive scallops into miniature hockey pucks. (Some people slice the bacon strips longitudinally, making two narrow strips out of one normal-width strip, but this is really only important to do if you're working with smaller scallops or are obsessive about a little bacon-overhang; the bacon, obviously, will shrink somewhat during cooking.)

So.

Wash your scallops, season them with some freshly ground black pepper. (No salt; the bacon is plenty salty enough.) Wrap each scallop in a partially-cooked bacon strip and spear with a toothpick to hold in place. Then stick your bacon-wrapped scallops under the broiler. Broil, turning occasionally, until the bacon crisps up nicely all over. (If you'd rather, this also works pretty well using a grill.)

Serve with wedges of fresh lemon. A little squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the cooked final product finishes it off nicely. For god's sake, if you've used good ingredients, keep your guests away from the cocktail sauce. (shudder)

Nothing to it. Make about twice as many as you think you'll need, because they are real crowd-pleasers.

enrevanche <http://enrevanche.blogspot.com>

Greenwich Village, NYC

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.

- Mark Twain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PINEAPPLE WRAPPED IN BACON IS DE-LISH ALSO AND CANNED WORKS JUST FINE

REALLY?

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use thin sliced applewood bacon lightly rendered as said. I have also given the scallop a light COLD smoke over applewood after seasoning with salt pepper and fresh thyme. wrap, and grill :).

hth, danny

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pickled watermelon rinds wrapped in bacon, nothing better.

Have found the rinds up and down the East coast from MA to FL, brand: Old South(there may be others, I just don't know about them).

They are sold in jars in the pickle section.

And they are very sweet, being in a syrupy mixture.

(If they are sold elsewhere in the country, I do not know. You can make the pickled rinds yourself, but it is work.)

Buy a meaty bacon, take a rasher, cut it into thirds or halves, and wrap it about a piece of the rind and secure with a toothpick (put the toothpick through the meaty part of the bacon).

No need to pre-cook the bacon here.

Cut the rinds into appropriate size pieces, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch (the sizes of the pieces in the jars vary, from fairly small to over an inch), and you gotta adjust the size of the bacon strip to the size of the rind as you go along.

This is not an exact science.

Put the pieces in the oven, 350 degrees or so, and take them out when the bacon is a bit crispy.

Serve warm.

The only way I get to eat any is to grab a couple before they go out of the kitchen. :angry:

Edited by auntdot (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

does anything not taste good when cooked wrapped in bacon?

AMEN!!!!!!

You can also use the same idea with a cool twich. Render some cubed pancetta. When it's cooked, take it out. Sear the Scallops in the fat and take them out. There should still be some fat in the pan. If not, add your favorite fat (clarified butter works great) Add some cubed potatoes, or sliced fingerlin potatoes (cooked; just sautee in the fat) add, maybe, some spinach and the cooked pancetta. Delicious!!!

Follow me @chefcgarcia

Fábula, my restaurant in Santiago, Chile

My Blog, en Español

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last fall, as part of a tasting menu at a restaurant, I had some scallops with perfectly wrapped bacon-- the bacon looked like it was fused on. Fast forward to this spring where I saw an Iron Chef style showdown featuring the chef from this same restaurant. One of the mystery ingredients was scallops and thus the chef used bacon to wrap them. I watched closely while he did it. He rolled the bacon wrapped scallops around the edge of a skillet on their sides, moving them every minute or so, and I think tilting the pan a bit to keep the grease away. I talked to him afterwards and he said he never puts the scallops flat in the pan, but they'll eventually get cooked-- just use very thin bacon in one layer and there is no need for toothpicks (thick bacon will buckle, but thin will pull in tight against the scallops). Haven't tested his method myself yet, though...

Edited by cjsadler (log)

Chris Sadler

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if this would be helpful, but I do pancetta wrapped scallops at work using frozen pancetta that I slice on a Hobart slicer. I think the ultra-thin slices are the key. I take the round slice and put a scallop directly in the middle and wrap it up, usually covering most of the scallop. I sear them on all sides in a hot oiled pan until the bacon is crispy(the water in the scallops doesn't seem to keep it from getting crisp either) and finish in a 450 degree oven for a few minutes while I make the sauce in the same pan. Usually I deglaze the pan with some lemon juice or wine and add a little butter and fresh herbs.

Kiss my grits

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try wrapping nice plump prunes in the bacon, held with a toothpick and broiling them - we call them Angels on Horseback. They are out of this world. Also try Smoked Oysters wrapped in bacon - called Devils on Horseback. Both lovely as a nibble and nice with wine or a beer.

They can be grilled also, but watch the bacon does not burn, keep them on the move a bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pickled watermelon rinds wrapped in bacon, nothing better.

Wow. That sounds sooooo Southern to me.

I've seen pickled watermelon rind as far north as the DC area, where I live. I dated somebody whose father was addicted to the stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Along these lines, recently someone shared a recipe with me for prosciutto-wrapped scallops on rosemary skewers. This is my take on it:

Basically, you need large sea scallops, sliced prosciutto, rosemary sprigs, and a little olive oil (optional: some aged balsamic vinegar).

Strip all of the leaves off of the rosemary sprigs, leaving the tip, which makes an attractive presentation. Also, you may wish to take a knife and sharpen the woody end of the rosemary sprig to make for easier skewering.

You need to cut the prosciutto into long strips and wrap them around the scallops like a little belt. Depending on the size of the rosemary sprig, skewer two or three scallops like a kabob, threading it through the sides to keep the prosciutto in place.

Heat some olive oil in a hot skillet and sear on each side for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side (the original recipe called for butter...I used EVOO instead). Serve immediately.

This makes for a nice appetizer. I also like to drizzle a little bit of aged balsamic vinegar on this and around the plate for an added zing!

All the best,

Jean

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PINEAPPLE WRAPPED IN BACON IS DE-LISH ALSO AND CANNED WORKS JUST FINE

REALLY?

Man oh man you slay me.

de-lish and very inexpensive compared to sea scallops...waterchesnuts are good also

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...waterchesnuts are good also

Back when Beaujolais Nouveau was decent, we'd make plates of waterchestnuts wrapped in bacon then dredged in whole-grain mustard and sprinkled with brown sugar - which would melt all over 'em under the broiler. Perfect pair! :rolleyes:

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of our favorite scallop preparations is scallops/pancetta/sage. The combination is heavenly. Basically saute the very thin Pancetta rashers then when they are almost cooked sear the scallops in the pancetta fat. when all is done cook the sage leaves in the same pan till they are almost crisp. Serve each scallop topped with a pancetta slice and a sage leaf and drizzle with some of the fat and/or evoo. Absolutly beautiful, delicious and takes five minutes to make.

Elie

E. Nassar
Houston, TX

My Blog
contact: enassar(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thin pancetta wrapped around oysters is another nice option (bacon works too, but I find the smokiness of the bacon can overpower the oyster flavor.)

Frankly, I love any opportunity to pair shellfish with pork.

Edited by mikeycook (log)

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...