Eats, Recipes
Published on March 15, 2015
Comments 24

Yakitori-Style Scallops and Bacon

written by

   yakitori-bacon-scallops38

Warning: Food in this post may cause incoherant babbling and sighs/moans of agreement.

Scallops wrapped in bacon make me weak in the knees. I always order them if I see them in a Japanese restaurant and The Koala is a big fan of them too. The ingredients are a bit expensive, but making them at home is far cheaper than eating them at a restaurant and you’ll probably get much more.

Fresh vs. Frozen

It’s no longer scallops season here, but not long ago my seafood guy was peddling some fat scallops from Nelson. Although they were frozen, I thought I’d give them a spin. While fresh scallops are always better, frozen scallops are better than none at all. If using frozen scallops, defrost overnight in the fridge and make sure you drain them very well because a lot of liquid will appear on thawing. Never thaw scallops in water as this affects the texture and flavour.

I think I was supposed to receive a dozen scallops, but I actually got 14 scallops. I took the extra 2 as an amuse bouche that we enjoyed while photographing. That’s why you see an extra 2 scallops in the before photo and which didn’t make it to the after photo. Don’t judge me, you’d do the same.

Furikake

Furikake is a Japanese seasoning that I have blogged about before and can be found at most Asian grocers, perhaps even your local supermarket in the condiments or international section. A tasty mixture of dried fish, sesame seeds, seaweed, salt, sugar and MSG, this is usually sprinkled on top of rice, but is also great for bringing out umami flavours in any dish. There are vegetarian variations that contain no fish and I’ve seen mushroom furikake too. Furikake comes in single-use sachets or in small vials.

yakitori-bacon-scallops05

You’ll need 4 bamboo skewers for this recipe. Some recipes require soaking but I find these are cooked so quickly there is no chance of burning.

Yakitori-Style Scallops and Bacon

Makes 4 skewers

Skewers:

  • 12 fat scallops with roe intact
  • 6 slices of free range streaky bacon

Marinade:

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 2 tablespoons sake
  • (optional: a teaspoon of grated ginger)

To garnish:

  • Wasabi mayo (2 tablespoons mayonnaise mixed with 1 teaspoon wasabi)
  • Furikake (Japanese seasoning)
  • Spring onions (scallions), sliced

Preparation

  1. Put marinade ingredients into a small jar. Cover with lid and shake until well combined.
  2. Drain scallops and gently pat dry.
  3. Cut each strip of bacon in half and carefully wrap a piece of bacon around a scallop, making sure the roe is next to where the bacon strip overlaps itself. This way you can skewer the bacon overlap, then the roe, then the white part of the scallop and finally other side of the bacon for a more secure skewer. Have all the scallops facing the same way (as pictured).
    yakitori-bacon-scallops12
  4. Repeat with the rest of the scallops and bacon, 3 per skewer. Drizzle the marinade on top and sit aside for 15 minutes.
  5. Add a little oil to a hot heavy pan/skillet lay the skewers bacon side down. This is important as the bacon takes longer to cook than the scallops. Cook bacon side for 6-8 minutes on high heat, turning skewers once to the other bacon side. Scallops do not touch the pan (see photo).
    yakitori-bacon-scallops19
  6. Once cooked through, transfer to a plate and dot each scallop with wasabi mayo. Sprinkle with furikake and sliced spring onions (scallions).
  7. Serve with furikake rice and sauteed bok choy or with just a couple bottles of Asahi.

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24 Comments

  1. Dana Fashina says

    This is such a wonderful way to cook scallops and no pre-seasoning needed thanks to the bacon.
    Mmm.
    Bacon….
    Great use of Bok Choy too,

    Reply
  6. Sofia says

    I’ve never eaten scallops with bacon (never seen it actually) but reading and looking at it makes me weak in the knees too!

    Reply
  7. foodisthebestshitever says

    This is straight up good shit. Scallops and bacon is the stuff that dreams are made of. Seriously, I’ve just had dinner and am full of belly, but now I want scallops wrapped in bacon.
    How good is the smell of that combination cooking?! Argh, I can almost taste it…
    Nice job G 🙂

    Reply
  8. Johnine says

    Perfect timing! I grabbed a kilo of streaky bacon (not free range) which was on special the other day. Now I’ll just have to look out for a good batch of scallops. Lovely tones on the photos, btw. 🙂

    Reply
  11. leaandersen25 says

    Summer is fast approaching, foods like this Yakitori for a summer escapade. And ohh add some good cold thirst wiper cocktails. Good thing there are lots of hong kong cocktails in different hong kong bar here =)

    Reply
  13. Eva Taylor says

    I actually prefer to buy frozen scallops because we are not near any seaside so even fresh means that they are soaked in some kind of brine but the frozen ones are flash frozen right on the ship…you can’t get fresher than that. Defrosting overnight in the fridge is the only way to go, great tip.
    I love bacon wrapped scallops too, so delicious — the contrast of the sweet, succulent scallop to the salty, crisp bacon is divine! The Yakitori sauce sounds wonderful too, I usually drizzle with a little balsamic but in all fairness, sauce isn’t really required. Gorgeous presentation.

    Reply

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