How To Make Bacon Wrapped Scallops

How To Make Bacon Wrapped Scallops
These delightful bites are perfect for parties, game day, snack time or served alongside a nice grassfed steak for a special surf and turf meal.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops
by Amy Love, Real Food Whole Health

Ingredients:
12 large “dry” sea scallops (see notes below)
Unrefined sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
12 pieces of uncured, organic bacon
2-3 TBL ghee, coconut oil or pastured pork lard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Arrange scallops on a plate and pat dry. Season scallops with unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (and whatever else you’d like).

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay strips of bacon out on it, without overlapping the pieces. Bake bacon for about 8 minutes, or until ¾ of the way cooked (golden but not browned and still flexible). Remove bacon from oven and let cool slightly.

Wrap a piece of not-quite-cooked bacon around the outer perimeter of each scallop and secure with a toothpick (see picture above). Repeat with remaining scallops.

Heat ghee, coconut oil or lard in a large skillet with sides, and place the scallops broad side down (not on their bacon-wrapped sides) Cook in place (don’t stir or move them) for about 4-5 minutes. Turn over, cook 4-5 minutes, remove to plate and serve!

Notes:
“Dry” sea scallops are not soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate. We avoid “wet”, “soaked” or “treated” scallops- you will find sodium TPP in all of those labels. You can order dry scallops online from Vital Choice Seafood.

Whole Foods and similar retailers generally sell only “dry” scallops- if you have any doubt, ask your fishmonger. Trader Joe’s often has frozen sea scallops that are “dry”- the label states only “scallops” and local seafood shops often carry only dry or at least have the option for dry or wet scallops.

Dry scallops may appear slightly off-white or have a pinkish hue- that is natural- bright white scallops may be a sign the scallops are treated with sodium TPP, unless otherwise labeled.