Bacon wrapped scallops are a tasty treat with the sweetness of the scallops and the smoky, salty bacon. Throw in some spicy mango salsa and you have yourself a gourmet meal.
A few nights ago, MaryJo and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, Bonefish Grill. We arrived at around 6 pm, which is fashionably late for a couple of Florida retirees, (the 4 o’clock dinner crowd can be nuts)!
We sat in the bar area, just in time for a happy hour wine, and ordered a light supper. I had a salad and bacon wrapped scallops with mango salsa.
Well, I was so impressed by this dish that I thought I should recreate it at home and share it with you.
Picking Up The Scallops
At Bonefish, the bacon wrapped scallops are an appetizer and the scallops were on the small side. About the size of a quarter. I wanted to make the scallops as a main course, so I went to the local fish market, Jensen Bros., and they had fresh U-10 scallops.
The U means under, which translates to under 10 scallops per pound. Okay, 8 is under 10…I told Traci I wanted 8. Sounded like a reasonable number.
Well 8 of these U-10s weighed in at 1 pound 5 ounces! These were huge scallops.
I decided to freeze 4 and we would eat them another time. And since they were so large, I cut them in half for this recipe, then wrapped them in bacon.
The mango salsa was a mix of red onion, sweet red pepper, cilantro, and diced mango.
Cutting Up The Mango
The mango is an odd fruit. There’s a big seed inside that you have to cut around to get the juicy fruit. I’m never quite sure which way the seed is oriented so I just start carving off parts and eventually get all the good stuff and leave the seed.
You don’t eat the skin either, so the easiest way to cut this is to dice it while on the skin, then lay your knife on it’s side and slice the fruit off the skin. Much like you would skin a piece of fish, only the mango is really soft and easy to cut.
Bacon wrapped scallops are really a treat since fresh never-frozen diver scallops are kind of pricey. They tasted fantastic and the salsa pairs well with them.
The sweet seafood flavor of the scallops is a nice contrast to the salty meatiness of the bacon. We had them with a big salad and white wine.
Try this as a nice appetizer or as a main dish.
Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
Bacon wrapped scallops
- 4 U-10 scallops , side tag muscle removed, cut in half vertically
- good quality thin sliced bacon
- salt and pepper
Mango salsa
- 1/2 cup diced mango
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 1/4 cup minced sweet red pepper
- 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tbsp jalapeno, minced
Instructions
Scallops
- Wrap scallops in bacon, (1/2 to 2/3 of a slice) secure bacon with a toothpick
- Lightly salt and pepper all sides
- Place scallops on a cooling rack sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, then placed in a baking pan.
- Put into a cold oven, turn the oven on to 375ยฐ and bake for 30 to 35 minutes turning the scallops over after 15 minutes
- Serve hot
Mango salsa
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until used.
- Serve on the side with the bacon wrapped scallops
Nutrition
Eileen Herbert
This sounds delicious. I will have to try it!
Josie
Yum! I want to try this!
Joe
Josie @ Dew Drop Wines has a website to check out…http://www.dewdropwines.com/