Scallop Recipes and Ideas

The Scallop, in culinary terms, generally refers to the adductor muscle of several, similar species of shellfish. Some recipes will use more than the muscle, and include the pinkish-orange gonads (seen surrounding the white, pillar of the adductor in the above picture), but most dishes include only the muscle itself. When properly prepared, the meat, though a little fibrous, is delightfully tender and deliciously sweet, and scallops are the favorite seafood item for many people.. Here, in this post, you will find several easy to follow recipes, as well as a gallery of restaurant scallop dishes, along with reviews that may give you ideas, as well as tips on what makes for a good scallop dish.

All of the recipes on this page use only fresh (or freshly frozen) scallops as the basic ingredient. In much of East-Asia, however, particularly China, scallops are preserved by drying, and, when reconstituted for use, pack a flavor that is much more intense than the fresh article. If you are interested in learning more about these, you may wish to look at the page dedicated to Chinese Dried Scallop Recipes as well.

Back when I was a kid growing up in Maritime Canada, Clams and Chips were nearly as popular is Fish and Chips and, if you were in a restaurant that served both of these, it was generally a safe bet that you could get Scallops and Chips as well. Scallops and Chips generally used the larger variety usually of scallop referred to as ‘Sea Scallops’, and even a half-dozen of these, along with chips and coleslaw, made for a very filling meal. For this appetizer version, I am using the smaller Bay Scallops here, and I have jazzed up the usual plain batter coating with chili. If you want something closer to the plain old Scallop and Chips style, feel free to omit this.

Print Recipe

12-18 Bay Scallops
½ Cup Flour
1 Egg
¼ Cup Green Chili finely minced
1 Tbsp. Dried Red Chili Flakes
1 tsp. Garlic Salt

Beat the egg with the flour and add just enough water to make a thick batter, then stir in both sorts of chili and the garlic salt. Place the mix in the refrigerator to chill.
Heat deep-fry oil to medium hot, coat the scallops with batter, and, working in small batches to avoid sticking, deep-fry them until nicely golden.
Do a second fry of all the scallops together for a half-minute or so, then drain well on paper towels.
Serve, garnished as you like, with Tartar Sauce, or your dipping condiment of choice.

Scallop Bhaji are not a proper traditional Indian dish, as far as I know. A ‘Bhaji’ is an Indian fritter, often served as a street snack, or an appetizer dish, and I have re-created the basic form here using scallop meat as the primary ingredient. The Japanese do something very similar in their Kakiage style dishes, but here the seasoning that is used makes for a little appetizer that is much more Indian in spirit.

Print Recipe

½ Cup diced Scallop meat
¼ Cup slivered Onion
¼ Cup slivered Red Bell Pepper
¼ Cup slivered fresh Green Chili
1 pinch Garlic Salt
1/3 Cup Flour
1 Egg-white
1 tsp. Coriander Seed freshly ground
1 Tbsp. Turmeric
1 -2 tsp. coarsely ground dried Red Chili.

Mix together the flour and egg-white, and just enough water to make a thick batter
Stir in the seasonings followed by the main ingredients and allow the mixture to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
When ready to cook, heat your deep-fry oil over a moderate high flame.
Add heaped tablespoons of your batter mix to the oil a few at a time and fry for a minute or two, removing each Bhaji to a paper-towel lined platter as it becomes lightly golden.
After you have completed the initial frying of all the Bhaji, add them all back into the oil for a second frying to get them nicely crispy.
Drain once again on paper towels to remove excess oil and then serve while still hot along with a dipping sauce or chutney of your choice

The technique used in the preparation of these little appetizers is very much like the Japanese ‘Kakiage’ style of Tempura. However, I have departed very slightly from strictly Japanese roots a by combining chopped sweet scallop meat, not only with shredded Wakame seaweed, but also some finely diced Chinese Preserved Sausage.

Print Recipe

2 – 3 Large Scallops diced;
¼ of 1 Chinese Preserved Sausage finely diced;
1/8 Cup of shredded reconstituted Wakame Seaweed;
6 Tbsp. Flour;
1 pinch each Salt and Baking Powder;

Add the Salt and Baking Powder to the Flour and then stir in sufficient water to make a moderately thick batter.
Mix the solid ingredients together and then stir in small quantities of batter, a little at a time, just to the point that everything is very liberally coated.
Add generous heaping teaspoons of the mix to hot oil and deep-fry until they float and turn a nice golden color.
Remove to paper towel to blot away remaining oil, then serve hot with a Ponzu, or dipping sauce of choice.

This Scallop Recipe uses a bed of seasoned, pureed potato with scallions, a rich and tangy herbed lemon butter sauce, and the decadent addition of slices of Black Truffle. I have only used two large Scallops here, making the result suitable as an appetizer for two (or even just one), but you can certainly multiply the amounts for a larger dinner party.

Print Recipe

2 large Scallops;
4 slices of Black Truffle;
1 small Potato;
¼ cup finely chopped Scallion Green;
2 Tbsp. thick Cream;
5 Tbsp. Butter;
2 Tbsp. White Wine;
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice;
2 Tbsp. chopped Parsley;
1 pinch Paprika;
Salt and Pepper.

Boil and mash the potato and season it with a little salt and pepper. Whip to a smooth puree with the cream, and then stir in the chopped scallion.
Quickly sear the scallops in a little oil to a crusty golden brown on both sides and remove from the pan.
Form circular ‘Pads’ for each Scallop using three tablespoons or so of the mashed potato mixture, and dust each with a little Paprika.
Deglaze the scallop pan with White Wine, then add the butter and Lemon juice and reduce slightly, adding a pinch or two of Parsley just before finishing.
Add a Scallop to each Potato ‘Bed’, top with two Truffle slices each, and pour over the sauce. Garnish with remaining Parsley and serve hot.

This Scallop Recipe might easily be described as ‘Kung Pao’ style dish in your typical Westernized Chinese restaurant, but it lacks the ‘scorched’ chili component of the traditional form and, instead, uses Chili Paste and Garlic to add aromatic and fiery notes to stir-fried sweet little Bay Scallops, Red Pepper and Peanuts.

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1/2 lb Baby Scallops;
½ cup Peanuts;
1 small Red Bell Pepper;
1 tsp. Rice Wine or substitute dry sherry;
½ tsp. Garlic Paste;
1 Tbsp. Chili Paste;
1 pinch Salt;

Toss the scallops with the rice wine and leave to marinate for at least thirty minutes.
Trim and cut the red pepper into small squares then sort the peanuts, discarding and replacing any that are not whole.
Deep-Fry the scallops in hot oil until just golden and then remove and drain away excess oil.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan over moderately high heat and briefly sauté the garlic and chili pastes.
Add the Bell Pepper and fry just until it softened.
Add the scallops and peanuts along with the salt, fry for minute or so longer, then plate and serve immediately.

In this simple stir-fried Scallop recipe, crisp green pepper chunks are paired with succulent, tiny bay scallops and shrimp in a very light, thin sauce made with Rice Wine, Oyster Sauce, and just a dash of Sesame Oil. The umami component of the shellfish is enhanced by the fermented richness of Chinese Salted Black Beans.

Print Recipe

1/2 lb. small Shrimp peeled and deveined;
1/2 lb. Bay Scallops;
1 small Green Bell Pepper in bite size pieces
1 ½ Tbsp. Salted Black Beans rinsed and coarsely chopped;
1 Tbsp. Oyster Sauce;
2 Tbsp. Rice Wine;
1 tsp. Soy Sauce;
½ tsp. Sesame Oil;

Rinse and coarsely chop the salted black beans.
Add a tablespoon of oil to your pan over high heat and add the green pepper pieces followed by the salted beans. Saute until the peppers are glossy and just starting to soften slightly.
Add the scallop and shrimp and continue stir-frying just until the shrimp are pink on the outside.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook for just a minute or so until the sauce is bubbling and slightly thickened.
Plate and serve immediately.

This dish is similar to the Black Bean Shrimp and Scallop Recipe above, but here, slices of the larger Sea Scallop are used instead of little bay scallops, and these are stir-fried with with Zucchini, fresh Basil, and, again, umami-rich Chinese Salted Black Beans.

Print Recipe

3/4 lb. large Sea Scallops thinly sliced horizontally;
1 – 1 1/2 cups Zucchini sliced into half-moons;
½ cup Red Bell Pepper cut into small bite sized pieces;
1 small handful of Basil coarsely chopped if the leaves are very large;
2 tbsp. Chinese Salted Black Beans;
3 cloves Garlic sliced;
1 tbsp. Sugar;
3 tbsp. Shaoxing Wine;
½ cup Chicken Stock;
1 tbsp. Oyster Sauce;
1 tsp. Light Soy Sauce;
1 tsp. Salt;
1 tsp. Cornstarch plus extra for dusting;

Stir the soy sauce into the scallops and, in a separate bowl, toss the zucchini with the salt. Set both of these aside for at least 15 minutes.
Toss the Scallops with cornstarch, quickly pan-fry over medium heat until lightly browned, and set aside.
Rinse the zucchini pieces with water to remove excess salt and pat dry.
Toss the zucchini with cornstarch, quickly pan-fry over medium heat until nicely golden, and set aside.
Turn the heat to high, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and briefly fry the garlic until it is just starting to turn brown.
Add the peppers and saute until softened slightly, then add the Black bean mixture.
Stir for a moment or so and then add the scallops and the zucchini, tossing until they are heated through.
Add the sauce mix and when it thickens, str in the Bails. When the Basil wilts, plate and serve.

A large number of the dishes here involve grilled, or pan-seared scallops. This is partly because they are one of my favorite appetizers, and also because the skill of a restaurant kitchen in preparing scallops using either method is a good indicator of the overall quality of the establishment as a whole. In any event, the reviews here may not only provide you with some inspiration for plating, or developing your own scallop recipes, but may lend some insight into what works, and what doesn’t.

The Seared Scallops at the Press Gang Restaurant in downtown Halifax were served in a mild Basil Pesto, with fresh Asparagus spears along side, and Meyer Lemon was included as a sort of Marmalade type condiment on top. The elegant plating, with the Asparagus being arranged ‘Spilt-Rail Fence’ style, was rounded out with two little pinches of bright red Paprika.

The Scallops themselves were expertly grilled. The basic idea with grilling Scallops is to sear them to a crustiness on the outer flat surfaces without allowing the inner flesh to overcook to the point of being rubbery. This is something that restaurant cooks often fail to do correctly, but here, at The Press Gang, the meat was still slightly translucent at the center and delightfully tender.

The Basil Pesto was delicately tasty, and worked very nicely, especially with the Asparagus spears, which were nicely steamed to crisp-tenderness and had a lovely fresh flavor. The Meyer Lemon topping, however, is what made this dish somewhat unique. Citrus, both Lemon and Orange, always pairs nicely with Scallops (and most seafood, generally) but the Meyer Lemon in this case was candied and paired with a little thinly sliced Scallion. It added just a nice additional sweetness and a counterbalancing tang to the rich Scallop flavor. I thought this Scallop recipe made for a top-notch appetizer, and I gave it a well-deserved Rating of 5 out of 5.

The Scallops Pan-seared at the Courtyard Restaurant in Ottawa’s Byward Market district were nicely plated with sous-vide Pork Belly as components of a rather complex appetizer dish. There were only three Scallops included and these were placed atop a small bed of smoked cheddar grits. Two cubes of sous-vide pork belly flanked the scallops and, atop these, were a section of grilled scallion green and a roasted shallot. On the far side of the plate from the grits was a pool of shallot Gastrique, and between the two, forming a line, were interspersed little mounds of caramelized onion puree and a thyme jelly.

The Scallops themselves were, I have to say, not quite as beautifully seared as those at the Press Gang restaurant reviewed above, as they didn’t achieve quite the same nice caramelization but they were decently sized Sea-Scallops, and were nicely seasoned, with a delectable buttery texture.

The Pork Belly was also very tender, and I like the Gastrique very much. The lines of onion puree and thyme jelly dividing the plate were certainly interesting, but I am not sure that they added much. Each had a pleasing taste by itself, and the visual appeal was certainly there, but, in all honesty, as far as taste or texture goes, I really wouldn’t have missed them at all.

Finally, the grits used to form a bed for the scallops and pork belly were of the large ‘hominy grit’ variety. Quite honestly, I really was skeptical about smoked cheddar working well here but it turned out to complement both the scallops and the pork belly very well. I thought this a well-conceived and well-executed dish and gave it a Rating of 5 out of 5.

Although this appetizer appeared on the menu at Minato Sushi Restaurant in Halifax as ‘Butter Hotate’, I was a bit skeptical. Hotate, strictly speaking, are a species of Scallop native to Asian waters, but the ones served here were, I am fairly sure, the diminutive ones from local waters generally know as Bay Scallops. Small scallops like these do not take very well to searing to a crispy crust as do the larger Sea Scallops, as they tend to dry out too easily. Here, they were pan-cooked just long enough to cook through, yet remain tender, and were generally sweet and tasty, though not, I afraid, at peak freshness.

The main issue I had with this Scallop recipe was the sauce. I cannot be sure what the problem was, but I am fairly certain that the butter they used had been out too long and started to go rancid. The saltiness of the light Soy Sauce they added offset this ever so slightly, but not enough to cover the unpleasant taste. The mushrooms were decent, if unremarkable, and the Scallops not too bad, but the sauce really ruined the dish to the point of it being awful and I gave it a Rating of 1 out of 5.

There is still a Lapointe’s Fish and Seafood shop in Ottawa’s Byward Market, as well as a restaurant outside the downtown core, but the Market Seafood Grill restaurant is gone now. This a shame as I had some great meals there over the years. Their Grilled Scallop appetizer, pictured above, although not quite as advertised, was fairly well done, as well. It consisted of grilled scallops on a bed of arugula, with crushed pecans and orange segments, and, supposedly, a maple-espresso dressing.

Now, first, I have to say that the plating job in this case was really sub-standard, which really detracted from the quality of the dish. The arugula was largely replaced with spinach, and was haphazardly strewn on the platter, as were with the scallops and the orange, which was in ragged pieces and not sections, as described in the menu.

The scallops, however, were very nicely grilled, having been seared to a caramelized crispiness on the outside while being tender, and still slightly translucent on the inside. I am not sure what happened to the ‘maple espresso’ dressing promised in the menu, though, as neither of these flavors were apparent in what I was served, and it seems the kitchen had to substitute for some reason. I was a bit disappointed by this, as the description intrigued me, but whatever the replacement was, it was tangy, sweet, and not bad. The orange and nuts worked well, and despite the flaws, I gave this a Rating of 3 out of 5.

This Scallop dish appeared on the appetizer menu at the, now closed, Must Wine Bar in Ottawa, as Pan seared Scallops with Squash Purée and Crispy Prosciutto. I was a bit hesitant to order this at first, as I am not keen on squash, but I am glad I went ahead as it turned out to be very nice.

The Scallops themselves were a little bit on the small side, I thought. For a main dish, I would certainly expect good, thick Sea Scallops rather than the diminutive specimens here, but this was an appetizer, after all, and the kitchen managed to cook them so they had a nice crust, while still tender in the center. This can be quite tricky with small scallops, but, here, they did an excellent job. They were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, but celery seed had also been used ,which worked well, and I thought I was able to detect a very nice hint of fennel pollen.

From the menu description, I half-expected that the Scallops might actually be wrapped in Prosciutto, but this was actually crisply-fried and crumbled Prosciutto scattered atop the Scallops as an edible garnish. The Squash, which I feared might be a thick pool of the stuff, was just an artistic paint-palette sort of smear beneath each Scallop, and I actually enjoyed the earthy notes of the squash, despite my usual dislike. The prosciutto, didn’t add much, but this was only a minor flaw, and I thought this Scallop recipe deserved a Rating of 4 out of 5.

The pan-seared scallops at Sorrentino’s in downtown Edmonton were very well executed, being nicely crisp on the outside, and juicily tender at the center. The crispy-fried slivers of leek added as an edible garnish were extremely tasty, but the arugula salad on the side, lent little to the dish, other than, perhaps, a little visual appeal.

The bed of pureed Leek and Potato was a very good choice here, and I like the texture combination as well as the flavor. It was subtle, lightly seasoned with little else than Salt and Pepper, but carried a faint background note of Garlic. My real disappointment here, however, was that the dish arrived at my table almost cold. If it had been completely cold, that might actually have worked, but the lukewarm temperature, obviously from having been left to sit too long, really diminished my enjoyment of what might otherwise have been an excellent appetizer. I gave this a Rating of 3 out of 5.

Scallop Appetizer at the excellent Claddagh Oyster House in Charlottetown was listed on the menu simply as ‘Brown Butter Scallops’, but beneath this was a further description specifying that the sauce was made with Chili Oil and a *House* XO Sauce. I required the waiter about this and she confirmed that, indeed, the House XO Sauce is made by the Chef (who, incidentally, is not Cantonese). Naturally, I had to give this a try.

Well, the Scallops themselves were, I have to say, expertly grilled. They were seared perfectly to form a lovely crust on the surfaces, and the interior was tender, sweet, and still just lightly translucent. As for the Sauce, this was a delightful surprise. I have tried making XO Sauce a number of times, and have done a fairly decent job with one or two of them, but the version here was better than mine. I think what made the XO Sauce so good was that the flavor of dried shrimp came through nicely and it was not over-sweetened with either sugar or an excess of dried scallop. The chili oil, too, was added with a deft touch and the entire effort was terrific.

The plating job, which used nothing more than some Pea-shoots as garnish, was simple, elegant, and added visual appeal to a dish that was cleverly conceived and expertly executed. The effort was, I think, one of the best scallop dishes I have been served, and it earned a Rating of 5 out of 5.

This dish appeared on the menu at the, now defunct, Café Indochine in Ottawa, described as Scallop, Zucchini and Eggplant Sautéed in Ginger and Black Bean Sauce. It certainly did come with all the promised main ingredients, but the sauce, although generous with ginger, was not quite as advertised as there was nothing like a Black Bean, or hint of a Black Bean to be seen or tasted.

I am not widely familiar with Vietnamese cuisine beyond a few famous preparations, but I had to look up ‘Xào Tuong’, and it appears that this refers to what I know as Chinese Salted Black Beans. Now, I had rather anticipated that this was what was meant by ‘Black Bean Sauce’ in the menu description, as I make sauces using this fermented product frequently. I was looking forward to the taste and was thus a bit disappointed by their absence.

Now I should say that in all other respects this dish was excellent. In addition to the ingredients specified on the menu, the dish also came with Snow Pea, Onion, and Red and Green peppers, with steamed rice being served in a bowl separately. They restaurant was also very generous with the little Bay Scallops, which can be a bit pricey, and they were fresh, sweet, and very tender.

The sauce in which all these lovely ingredients were actually cooked was slightly sweet and reminded me a bit of the Chinese versions of ‘Satay Sauce’ you get in some restaurants. It was very nice, but my mouth was already for the salty, umami flavors of a Black Bean Sauce and so the sauce I was served was just a bit less enjoyable than it might have been. Still, all being said, this was a lovely lunch, and I gave it a Rating of 4 out of 5.