Jalapeño Bacon Wrapped Scallops, broiled to perfection, are one of the easiest and most delicious appetizers you can enjoy!
The highest quality ingredients make all the difference, especially when you’re cooking seafood and bacon!
This post was sponsored by Safeway, but all opinions are 100% my own. #SWYBloggerTours
BACON WRAPPED SCALLOPS
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These Jalapeño Bacon Wrapped Scallops were inspired by and made with Open Nature products which are exclusive to the Safeway family of stores.
I recently visited Safeway’s Culinary Kitchens and Technical Center in California to learn about the Open Nature brand and why they are so proud of it. Not only was the day filled with amazing food and fun activities, but I absolutely loved learning about the Open Nature line of products.
We watched an amazing cooking demonstration by Executive Chef Jeff where he poached some boneless skinless Open Nature chicken breasts in olive oil. I don’t know if I’ll ever cook chicken any other way. So moist! Then he demonstrated how to make some amazing summer rolls. Pro tip: use a linen cloth to roll the rice paper – it prevents sticking!
Whether you’re already familiar with the Open Nature brand or never heard of it, I’m confident you’re going to be impressed.
About Open Nature:
- The brand is dedicated to a clean lifestyle
- Their products are free from 110 ingredients (the ones you don’t want in your food)
- They have a wide variety of products in both the food and non-food (i.e. diapers and facial wipes) categories with over 400 products
- Open Nature has high-quality, clean label products at a value compared to national brands
- Their 100% natural meat means no antibiotics ever, vegetarian fed chicken and pork, and grass fed and finished beef and lamb
- They offer responsible choice seafood
- All of their home products are dye free, never tested on animals, and include products that are biodegradable, fragrance free, and are certified Safer Choice by the US EPA
- All paper products are made with 100% recylced paper and are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
I had tons of options when I went to choose my ingredients for my Open Nature recipe post. The brand began with their meat and seafood line, so I started there. And once I saw that they offered Jalapeño Bacon and tasted their scallops that Chef prepared, I knew I had to make Jalapeño Bacon Wrapped Scallops.
My goodness, these were delicious! I can’t believe this is the first scallop recipe I’ve ever put on my blog. Now that I know where to get the best darn scallops out there, this certainly won’t be the last.
Bacon and scallops taste amazing together.
Bacon is chewy, smoky, salty, and this particular bacon has a spicy kick.
Scallops of soft, tender, and succulent.
Together, the flavors and textures unite in perfect harmony. Jalapeño Bacon Wrapped Scallops are the perfect two-bite appetizer. Serve up a fresh green salad and some scalloped (see what I did there?) potatoes and you have the perfect dinner!
I can’t wait to make my bacon wrapped mini meatloaf with this Jalapeño Bacon!
What are scallops?
It’s a commonly asked question.
The official definition of a scallop is an edible bivalve mollusk with a ribbed fan-shaped shell. Scallops swim by rapidly opening and closing the shell valves. Sounds yummy, right?
I’m guessing most people who ask the question really want to know what a scallop tastes like.
A wild caught sea scallop has a very mild seafood taste. The texture is completely consistent all the way through. They are soft yet firm and incredibly succulent.
Scallops are incredibly simple to cook and only take a few minutes from raw to perfection, but you need to take great care to not over cook them.
How to cook bacon wrapped scallops:
I’m sure there are many different methods, but mine worked perfectly so that is what I’ll explain.
I have seen many recipes that simply state to wrap the raw bacon slices around the scallop and then broil. The problem with that method is that the bacon takes much longer than the scallops to cook. You either end up with perfectly cooked bacon and overly cooked scallops, or more likely a perfectly cooked scallop and raw bacon. Eeeew.
I have the perfect cooking tip and will create perfect results:
You must cook the bacon first. Not all the way, but enough to mostly render the fat. That way, once you wrap the partially cooked bacon around the scallop, they will both be perfectly cooked at the same time. Cooking on a rack and baking sheet is highly recommended for the most even cooking.
I also recommend wrapping the bacon with the fat side up. This is the side facing the heating element of your broiler and it, along with the jalapeno tips, will get the most beautiful browning action.
I highly recommend checking the temperature of your scallop to know when it’s done. Experienced chefs can go by feel, but you certainly can’t tell by site.
Jalapeño Bacon Wrapped Scallops
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bacon Open Nature Uncured Jalapeno flavored
- 1 pound sea scallops Open Nature North Atlantic wild caught, thawed
- 1 jalapeno stem and seeds removed, sliced into thin 2 inch long pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange an oven safe rack on top of a baking sheet (line baking sheet with foil first for easy clean up). Arrange bacon on rack in a single layer. Bake in preheated oven until fat is mostly rendered but bacon is still very flimsy, about 20 minutes.
- Wrap a piece of bacon around each scallop with a couple pieces of jalapeno. I recommend having the meat side of the bacon down as the top will get more browned. Secure by piercing with a toothpick all the way through. Set on rack you cooked bacon on (to avoild smoking, replace foil). Drizzle olive oil (or spray) over tops of scallops.
- Set oven to broil with the rack in the middle. Once hot, add bacon wrapped scallops. Broil until internal temperature reads 145 degrees F. This should take 5-10 minutes.
These look Ah-MA-ZING!!! I want to bite into them right now. Bacon and jalapeno is one of the best flavour combos ever. : D
Agreed! Thank you! And yes – they were ah-MA-ZING! I may or may not have eaten two thirds of them in one sitting.
These look incredible!! The bacon and scallop combo is beyond perfect!
You had me at bacon wrapped!!
These look incredible! A must make this weekend!
These look yummy! I’ve never had scallops before… I might have to try them with this recipe!
What an amazing brand! I love companies that provide clean and healthy options!
Oh my! These look amazing!
are these scallops “dry” scallops or brined?
Hi Nancy, The only ingredients are scallops on the package, so no brine!