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
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Recipe Details
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!
Made this recipe exactly as it is stated and the bacon never crisped and had I left them in any longer would.of been rubber and they had no flavor. So I made a butter lemon garlic sauce pulled them.from the broiler n three them in my air fryer foe 4 min n they were perfect. Will only use my air fryer on this recipe other wise unless u partially cook bacon they will not brown under broiler before there over done..I used a super lean bavon with no fat as well. Air fryer saved the scallops..definitly require more than said n pepper to flavor the large scallops. Lemon butter garlic with a extra drizzle of lemon. They were a huge success n flavor on point. This recipe done as written does not work n scallops have no flavor. I cook scallops n seafood a lot. Thought I would try rhis recipe to.see if it really worked and it was a bust. Sorry
No need to be sorry- I appreciate your honest review. The bacon in these wrapped scallops must be very thin in order for it to cook through.
These are so easy but so good and make any party feel special!
A great appetizer that’s so easy to make.
An easy recipe with few ingredients and fantastic flavor!
My family really enjoyed this! It was amazing!
Bacon wrapped scallops are my favorite! Love the dipping sauce!
These were terrific! I made them for my book club and they were a huge hit. Love the dipping sauce, too.
Lori, this was a really great recipe. I had to extend cook time 5 more minutes because of bacon. But WOW they were good!
When you broil the scallops and bacon do you stand the scallops on their side so the bacon is facing the broiler or the raw scallop is facing the broiler?
raw scallop side should be fine.
Ouch! Reconsider the spicy Mayo thing! Too much Lime, etc. Wheeeew!
All a matter of taste- perhaps you had a very juicy lime!
Beautiful!! I’ll try it . . . .
My oven has Hi and Low; which setting should I use for this recipe?
hi and low? Never seen that… I’m not sure!
Love this recipe! Definitely gonna try this for our next bbq party.
I had them for lunch today. I live in Nova Scotia, home of the famous Digby scallop. I partially pre cook my bacon and have never cooked a scallop more than 4 minutes in any manner. We also eat them raw here. I also don’t like them all dressed up with other stuff. They have such a delicate sweet flavour, I don’t want them to taste like anything else. I hear some people even cook them with garlic. Wrapped in bacon I like but not as much as just seared in clarified butter or dredged in very fine cracker crumbs and deep fried just till golden, about 2-4 min.
These are excellent! I’m a new cook and still learning a lot. This was my first time making scallops and they couldn’t have come out better! Also, I used Chipotle paste b/c I couldn’t find chili paste and it was delicious and spicy. Thank you for the recipe!!