While summer is still around, you can be sure I'll be grilling these scallops with a creamy cilantro dipping sauce!
Who loves to grill even if they have a perfectly good stove in a decent sized kitchen with all of your ingredients and gadgets close by? Yup me too, and that's why during the summer months I try to grill outside as much as I can.
There's just something about the flavor when grilling that can't be replicated in an ordinary oven.
Whether its meat or seafood, you can always be sure that the grill will bring out the best in anything you throw on it!
This grilled scallop recipe is super simple, in fact most of the time is probably spent making the dip. The grilled scallops are just tossed in olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. They don't need much else if you buy good scallops.
What kind of scallops are best to use?
I use jumbo scallops from Trader Joe's. You can find them in the frozen section. You could buy fresh scallops but I'm always wary of how long they've been sitting and if they're pumped full of water.
If you have a reliable seafood place you like to shop, go with that choice but frozen are just as good. You can defrost them in about twenty minutes by placing the unopened bag in a bowl of cold water and let them sit out on the counter or in the fridge overnight.
Once your scallops have defrosted, pat them dry with a paper towel to try and get rid of any extra moisture. If you add wet scallops to a hot pan they have a better chance of just steaming instead of searing and getting that awesome caramelization that you need.
Check out my post on how to cook perfect scallops here! But for this recipe we're going to grill the scallops!
How do I cook my grilled scallops?
I like to use wooden skewers for smaller items and keep my bigger metal skewers for larger items like cubes of meat or steak and veggie kebabs. Wooden skewers usually need to be soaked in water to keep them from burning up.
If you can, set them in a tall glass of water but since these scallops cook so fast, it doesn't give the skewers much time to catch fire. Depending on how long your skewers are, mine were about 6 inches and I placed four scallops on each skewer.
Make sure your grill is on it's highest heat setting and place the skewers directly onto the hottest part of the grill.
After about 3-4 minutes flip each grilled scallop skewer over and repeat. You're looking for a nice crust on each side. A last minute drizzle with some good olive oil and a sprinkle of toasted almonds is all these scallops need but don't forget that cilantro yogurt dip on the side!
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