Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Cilantro Mayonnaise

These Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Spicy Cilantro Mayonnaise is a really great appetizer recipe that’s special enough for a holiday or fun celebration party.

My favorite jeans don’t fit me right now, I feel pudgy, and my skin isn’t looking all that great. I blame it on bacon. Bacon has been making its way into a lot of my recipes lately. Although I love all-things-bacon with a fierce passion, it is not doing wonders for my girlish figure. I’d probably be okay with my usual balance of exercise if I didn’t have an injury that is preventing me from burning my usual boatload of calories. Woe is me.

Lucky for you, I’m willing to take on the pudge to test out recipes like this. Because these Bacon Wrapped Scallops, my friends, are worth the pudge.

I served these up a a dinner party recently… a dinner party full of seafood, which I’ll be sharing with you- the entire menu- in my post later this week. This is the recipe from that dinner party that is getting the featured spot. Yep, they were that good.

How do you make Bacon Wrapped Scallops?

Get the best scallops you can.  Fresh is great, but only buy fresh if you’re going to use them the same day you buy them. A good market will probably have frozen/thawed scallops.  Let them thaw overnight in your refrigerator before making this recipe.

Wrap each scallop with a half strip of the thinnest bacon you can find, and secure it with a wooden toothpick. I’d recommend using non-colored wooden toothpicks. The colored type that I used were cute and all, but I wasn’t happy with the small amount of color it left behind on my lovely scallops.  EEK!

Give the scallops a generous sprinkle of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Broil them until that bacon has sizzled into its crispy-state.  Can you believe how easy they are to make??

How long do Bacon Wrapped Scallops take to cook?

In this recipe, you’ll be broiling them for 15 to 20 minutes.  If you turn them halfway through cooking, the other side of the bacon will have a chance to get crisp too.  Some recipes call for baking instead of broiling, but since I’d rather have broiled crisp bacon… I recommend you broil them.

Included in this recipe is a very simply spiced dipping sauce… mayonnaise with chili paste, lime juice and cilantro. This Spicy Cilantro Mayonnaise dip is a perfect pairing with the Bacon Wrapped Scallops.  You can certainly serve them on their own without any sauce.  The sauce is a delicious bonus though!

These Bacon Wrapped Scallops will be a bit hit at your party- such a big hit that most people will eat too many and they will no longer be hungry for dinner. Two per person is just plenty!

Can you prepare Bacon Wrapped Scallops ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare this recipe ahead of time, but only on the same day that you’re going to make them.  You want your scallops to be as fresh as possible!  Make the dip, cover and refrigerate.  Wrap the scallops with bacon and keep them covered in the refrigerator. You’ll want to broil them right before serving.  They’ll be best that way!

How to order seafood online:

Do you have access to good scallops and other seafood in your neck of the woods? I order my scallops from Wild Alaskan Company, my go-to, internet-order seafood distributor. You just order a subscription, and it will be delivered to you all packed in dry ice and cold packs.  It’s high-quality seafood at its best.  And I don’t say that about all of the products I use! If you only want one shipment, you can sign up for the subscription and then just cancel any future deliveries after the first. You won’t want to cancel- it’s an awesome subscription!

Here are a few more recipes for scallops that you might enjoy:

• Caramelized Scallops with Smoked Chili Cream
• Seared Scallops with Lemon Orzo
• Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops
• Lemon Shallot Scallops over Greens
• Seared Jumbo Scallops

4.58 from 7 votes

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

By RecipeGirl.com (adapted from Tyler Florence)

These Bacon Wrapped Scallops are served with the most wonderful Spicy Cilantro Mayonnaise dip.

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients

SPICY CILANTRO MAYONNAISE:

• ▢ 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons ground chili paste
• ▢ 1 medium lime, juiced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

SCALLOPS:

• ▢ 1½ pounds scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• ▢ 12 to 16 ounces thin sliced bacon (not center cut), strips cut in half crosswise
• ▢ sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ large lettuce leaves, for serving (optional)

Instructions 

PREPARE THE SPICY CILANTRO MAYONNAISE:

• In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, hot chili paste, lime juice and cilantro; stir well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

PREPARE THE SCALLOPS:

• Preheat your oven broiler. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Wrap each scallop with a piece of bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick. Place the bacon-wrapped scallops onto the prepared baking sheet and season them with salt and pepper. Cook them under the broiler for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through- turning once mid-way through. To serve, line a large platter with lettuce leaves and place the bacon-wrapped scallops on top. Serve with a dish of the spicy mayonnaise for dipping.
  

Notes

• *It's important to use thinly sliced bacon for this recipe so the bacon will cook quickly!
• *The number of scallops this recipe will yield depends entirely on the size of your scallops. I like to use large scallops. They shrink a little bit during the broiling process, but they make a nice and hearty appetizer. Tiny scallops just aren't very exciting.
• *Ground chili paste can usually be found in your market's Asian product's aisle (I used one called Sambal Oelek). If you have something similar- maybe another spicy sauce, try substituting that (just add a little at a time until you reach your desired level of heat).
• *Make ahead tip: Make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate. Wrap all of your scallops and refrigerate, then just put them under the broiler when you're ready to serve!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 381kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 748mg, Potassium: 269mg, Vitamin A: 30IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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