This Alaska Grilled Sea Scallops Recipe is served up with creamy polenta and a delicious lemon chive oil.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The opinions and text are all mine.
Alaska scallops are one of my all-time favorite seafoods to eat. They are so different from most everything else I love from the sea, and I think that’s what makes them so unique and delicious. From their sweet scent and flavor to their firm texture, Alaska scallops are amazing.
I’d have to say that in addition to this grilled Alaska scallops recipe I love this Pan Seared Scallops Recipe with White Wine and Herb Butter Sauce and this Sea Scallops Florentina Fettuccini with Mushrooms and Tomatoes.
HOW TO PREPARE THEM
When it comes to seafood, I take a really strong stance, it needs to be wild caught. When you buy Alaska wild caught seafood you know you’re getting the absolute freshest, purest seafood in the world. These are straight from the wild cold waters of Alaska and to my door, and the quality could not be any higher.
They are delicate and the first thing you need to do is remove the “foot” from the scallop. The foot is the little muscle that secures the scallop to the shell. It’s as easy as pulling it right of the scallop and discarding it. Alaska scallops are delicious just simply coated in oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked.
I tossed mine in some finely minced garlic and lemon in addition to those basics just to add a bit more flavor, popped them on the grill and wow were they so good. It’s important to remember when grilling them that you have to give them time to cook. If you try and flip them too early, they are going to stick and fall apart. Alaska scallops are really tender and juicy, which means they hold a lot of moisture and need proper time to cook on the grill.
With all that being said I really like to serve up scallops around a medium rare to medium internal temperature so if they cook long on 1 side to ensure they release from the grill with ease, then I may just cook them for a few seconds to mark them on the other side.
HOW TO SERVE THEM
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, eating scallops all by themselves are just fine with me. I mean it’s kind of like calamari to me. Some cooked scallops, a light sauce and a half loaf of bread and wine and I’m good!
I will say that I only get to eat like that when I’m rolling solo, so since I’ve got a family to feed this time I thought I’d serve these tasty scallops alongside some creamy cheesy polenta and topped off with a simple to make lemon-chive oil.
I can’t stress enough at just how good these are and go amazing with the polenta and chive oil. This one right here is a winner!
Alaska Grilled Sea Scallops Recipe
Ingredients
For the Scallops:
- 2 pounds of 10/20 Alaska Wild Caught Scallops feet remove
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
- juice of 1 lemon
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
For the Accompaniments:
- 5-6 bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 1 bunch of fresh chives
- juice of 1 lemon
- Creamy Polenta Recipe x 2
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 450° to 550°.
- Scallops: Add the scallops, oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix.
- Once the grill is hot, add the scallops to the grill and cook for 3 minutes on one side and then flip and cook for :30 seconds. This will give you a medium rare to medium internal temperature. Keep warm.
- Coat the tomatoes in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add to the grill just to blister, about 1 to 2minutes. Keep warm.
- Chive Oil: Add the 1 cup of olive oil, lemon juice and chives to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes and then finely strain. There will be plenty leftover to use on other recipes.
- To Plate: serve the scallops over top of the polenta along with a drizzle of chive oil and a side of roasted tomatoes.
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