Perfect Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Perfect bacon wrapped scallops takes two steps involving partly cooking the bacon first. It’s worth it when you bite into your perfectly cooked scallop!

I don’t make “fancy” food often in my house. I have young children after all. But when I do, you can bet the meal will involve seafood.

Mr. Dreamboat and I both love seafood of any kind, and scallops are both of our favorites. We prepare them in a variety of ways, but Bacon Wrapped Scallops is our scallop recipe of choice.

How do you make Perfect Bacon Wrapped Scallops?

Making Bacon Wrapped Scallops is not difficult, but if you don’t do it right, you can end up with disappointing results. You might get perfectly cooked scallops and undercooked, rubbery bacon, or perfectly cooked bacon and tough, overcooked scallops.

To prevent these unappetizing situations, over the years I have developed a two-step method that results in both perfectly cooked bacon and scallops. Because you certainly don’t want to waste those delicious, plump scallops on a recipe that doesn’t work out.

The first step to achieving these perfectly cooked morsels is to partially cook the bacon first. You can do this in any way that you prefer to cook bacon, but since I will already be dirtying a baking sheet and rack, I do it in the oven.

I turn my oven on fairly hot (about 450°F) and cook for a few minutes on each side. The goal is to get the bacon cooked to a point where it would be safe to eat, but still very pliable so you can wrap the scallops. Get rid of any grease that has accumulated to cut down on smoke later.

How much bacon do you need for each scallop?

When the bacon is cool enough to handle, you will need to make a decision as to how to cut your bacon to wrap the scallops.

One full strip of bacon per scallop is definitely too much. I find half a strip of bacon (cut crosswise) is about right for the size of scallops I usually buy.

But if your scallops are small, or you’re looking to cut back on fat or calories, 1/4 of a strip might be just right (cut lengthwise and crosswise)

Wrap the bacon pieces around each scallop. Hold the bacon in place with a toothpick or skewer and put them in the oven, this time under the broiler. The bacon may spatter and smoke, so have your hood vent ready!

When the tops of the scallops are just starting to brown, flip them over. They will only need a few minutes on each side. Serve with some very simple sides and a nice glass of wine and you’ve got yourself a fancy meal with minimal work.

Perfect Bacon Wrapped Scallop Nutrition Notes

Even with using only half a slice of bacon per scallop, the calories and fat (including saturated fat) content of a small serving of bacon wrapped scallops is high. Most of this comes from the bacon, as scallops are quite low in fat and calories.

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Perfect Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Making perfect bacon wrapped scallops is easy, but it does require a couple of steps to ensure that both the bacon and the scallops are perfectly cooked.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 260kcal

Ingredients

• 8 slices regular (not thick cut) bacon
• 16 large (about 1 pound) sea scallops, fresh or thawed, patted dry with a paper towl

Instructions

• Heat oven to 450°F. Lay bacon on a wire rack fitted on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the bacon fat has started to render, but bacon is still pliable, flipping bacon halfway through cooking. Pat excess grease from bacon with a paper towel.
• Turn oven to broil and move oven rack to the highest position. Cut bacon in half crosswise. Wrap each half slice of bacon around a scallop and hold it in place with a toothpick or skewer.
• Place bacon wrapped scallops on a the wire rack atop the rimmed baking sheet. Place sheet under broiler. Broil for 4-6 minutes on each side, watching them closely. Flip scallops when tops are just beginning to brown. Don’t overcook.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Protein: 26g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 300mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 3mg

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