Bacon Wrapped Scallops are so easy to make and full of flavor, you’ll be making them for all your parties and holiday gatherings! Love easy seafood appetizers? Check out our Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampi or this decadent Crab Imperial!
Why You’ll Love This Bacon Wrapped Scallops Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Scallops are a classic holiday appetizer for good reason. And we’ve got a tip to making sure that the bacon on these seafood appetizers is actually crispy!
Scallops wrapped in bacon are perfect examples of appetizers that everyone has heard of. They’re passed out at weddings and parties and on tons of appetizer menus.
A lot of recipes for bacon wrapped scallops have a brown sugar and maple syrup glaze but not this scallop recipe. Sweet flavors on my seafood don’t really appeal to me, but you do you.
This scallop recipe is simply seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika. I like adding the paprika at the end, right before serving so it stays nice and bright orange and gives you a pop of flavor!
Tips For Crispy Bacon
One if the reasons that I love making this bacon wrapped scallop recipe is that the bacon is super crispy. To get the bacon this crispy you have to par-cook it first.
That means that you’re going to cook the bacon, but only for a couple of minutes on each side. So you’re cooking it “partially” through, not all the way.
Obviously if you cooked the bacon all the way it would be too crispy to wrap around the scallops, so par-cooking the bacon gives it a head start but doesn’t crispy it all the way through.
That way when you cook the scallops in the oven the bacon will crisp up in a short period of time.
How Can You Tell When Scallops Are Done?
Scallops cook very quickly, so you definitely don’t want to over cook them. Overcooked scallops will be very tough, not tender and creamy the way a scallop should be.
You can tell when a scallop is finished when it’s slightly firm to the touch but still has a bounce to it. Also the scallops will be opaque and not clear the way a raw scallop looks.
So all in all these scallops cook about 15 minutes in the oven from start to finish, that’s a super quick appetizer recipe! Check out our Air Fryer Scallops recipe that only takes 5 minutes, another great appetizer recipe.
Tips For Success
When these Bacon Wrapped Scallops come out of the oven, garnish them with chives and paprika. I like adding cool, crisp chives on top of the warm scallops for a contrast.
Or if you’re serving this seafood appetizer around the holidays or Christmas time, you can garnish the top of the scallops with a fresh sprig of rosemary to make them look festive!
We also like to leave the toothpicks in the scallops so that they are easier to pick up and eat, also the bacon might start to unravel on you if you remove them.
Can You Reheat Scallops?
This recipe is best served right away. You can wrap the scallops with bacon ahead of time and then all you’ll need to do come party time is pop them in the oven!
If you have leftover scallops and want to heat them up the next day you can microwave them for just about 20 seconds, only to warm them through.
Or heat them up in a low oven, about 300 degrees for 15 minutes. You really don’t want to toughen the scallops up by overcooking them, but you also don’t want them to go to waste!
Reheated scallops wrapped with bacon is better than no scallops wrapped with bacon. They will still be delicious!
Looking For More Easy Appetizer Recipes?
- Easy Deviled Eggs
- Christmas Antipasto Platter
- Hot Crab & Corn Dip
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Lobster Delight Dip
- Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Bacon Wrapped Scallops
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Bacon Wrapped Scallops are a classic holiday appetizer! We’ve got a tip to making sure that the bacon on these seafood appetizers is actually crispy!
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo scallops
- 8–10 strips bacon, cut in half
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- Paprika (for garnish)
- Fresh Rosemary or chives (for garnish)
- Chopped chives (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook the bacon for 2 minutes on each side, removing from the pan just before getting crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
- Rinse and dry the scallops very well with paper towels on both sides, and then season the scallops with salt and pepper to taste on both sides.
- Wrap each scallop with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with all of the scallops.
- Spray a cooking sheet with non-stick cooking spray, then place the scallops on the sheet pan.
- Cook the scallops for 12-14 minutes until slightly firm to the touch and opaque.
- Sprinkle on the paprika right before serving and garnish with chopped chives and fresh rosemary if desired.
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American