VelvetGrilled Sea Scallops
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
Large sea scallops threaded onto doubled skewers, brushed with a light coating and grilled over high heat with lemon wedges to finish. Thorough drying and a little flour, cornflour and sugar help the surface brown quickly while the centres stay tender.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Dry the scallops. Line the baking tray with a clean kitchen towel and arrange the scallops on it. Lay the second towel over them and press gently to blot away moisture. Leave covered at room temperature for 10 min.
- 2
Thread the skewers. On a flat work surface, thread 4-6 scallops onto each pair of parallel skewers, keeping their flat faces aligned so they will sit against the grate. Return them to the towel-lined tray, cover with the second towel and refrigerate while you prepare the barbecue.
- 3
Heat a charcoal barbecue. For charcoal, light a large chimney starter mounded with about 6.6 litres of charcoal, roughly 120 briquettes. Pierce twelve holes about 1.3 cm across in the base of the disposable tin and put it in the centre of the barbecue. When the top coals are partly ashed over, pour them into the tin. Loosely lay heavy-duty foil over the cooking grate, fit the grate, close the lid and heat for about 5 min until hot.
- 4
Or heat a gas barbecue. For gas, loosely lay heavy-duty foil over the cooking grate, leaving a 5 cm strip uncovered along each side. Set all burners to high, close the lid and heat until very hot, about 15 min.
- 5
Prepare the coating and grate. While the barbecue heats, whisk the 30 ml oil, flour, cornflour and sugar together in the small bowl. Once the grate is hot, lift off the foil with tongs and discard it, then scrub the grate clean. Grip a wad of paper towels with the tongs, dip lightly in the grate oil and wipe the cooking area 5-10 times, dipping again between passes, until black and glossy.
- 6
Coat and grill. Remove the towels and brush both flat sides of the scallops with the coating. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, then place the skewers directly over the hot grate. Close the lid and grill over high heat without moving them for 2½-4 min, until the undersides are lightly browned.
- 7
Turn and serve. Carefully turn the skewers with tongs and grill for another 2-4 min, until the second sides are browned, the edges feel firm and the centres are opaque. The USDA safe minimum is 63 °C in the centre of a thick scallop; check with the thermometer. Transfer to a clean serving plate, adjust seasoning if needed and serve immediately with the lemon wedges.
Storage
Best eaten straight off the barbecue. Refrigerate leftovers covered for up to 2 days and reheat gently until the centre reaches 74 °C; the texture will become firmer. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why it's healthy
20.8 g protein for 197 kcal = 10.6 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 42% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the EU condition. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low saturated fat: 1 g saturated fat per 100 g, 3.7% of energy (limits ≤ 1.5 g and ≤ 10%)
- Low sugars: 1.5 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 78 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
Free sugars: 1.2 g per serving
2.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 4.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g (WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
Equipment
- charcoal or gas barbecue with a lid
- large chimney starter (for charcoal)
- disposable aluminium cake tin, about 33 × 23 cm (for charcoal)
- 8-12 metal skewers, about 30 cm long
- rimmed baking tray
- 2 clean kitchen towels
- heavy-duty aluminium foil
- grill brush
- paper towels
- long-handled tongs
- small bowl
- whisk
- pastry brush
- instant-read thermometer
- knife
- chopping board
- serving plate
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 197 kcal |
| Protein | 20.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 9.4 g |
| of which sugars | 1.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| of which saturates | 0.8 g |
| Fibre | 0.1 g |
| Salt | 2.39 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
10.6 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
