Tasty Tuesday: Spicy Scallop & Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Spicy Scallop and Snow Pea Stir-Fry.  Try saying that 10 times fast.  Or don’t.  Just keep reading.

The preface to this recipe is that I wanted to try out a new recipe and try cooking scallops for the first time (I don’t eat seafood, so I’ve never cooked them).  So, I invited some of my co-worker friends over for dinner.  After they all accepted, I informed them that they would be my guinea pigs on this new recipe.  And on my first-ever-scallop-cooking experience.  They were nice enough to still come.

I was so busy cooking, entertaining, drinking wine and giving a pie-crust tutorial that I didn’t take in-process pictures (that would have been rude to my guests anyway, right?).  But truthfully, the meal came out looking pretty much like this picture from the magazine.

Courtesy of Hannaford Supermarkets

In addition to sharing the recipe, I’ll also give you a few helpful hints that I learned about cooking scallops.  Enjoy!

Spicy Scallop & Snow Pea Stir-Fry (printable version)
(recipe from Hannaford Supermarkets)
serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
6 TBS water
2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb dry sea scallops, 20 to 30 count (you can also use smaller bay scallops)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 lb fresh snow peas
4 cups cooked brown rice

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the water with soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch until evenly blended. Whisk in sugar and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
• Prepare rice according to package instructions. While rice heats, start the stir-fry.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat pan. When hot, add scallops. If using sea scallops, cook undisturbed for 3 minutes until golden brown on one side. If using bay scallops, cook for 2 minutes until very lightly browned. Transfer scallops to a plate and cover with foil. Set aside.
• Add garlic, ginger, bell pepper, snow peas, and remaining 2 Tbsp. water to the pan. Cook and stir until snow peas become bright green.
• Re-whisk sauce and add it to the pan along with reserved scallops. The sauce will quickly thicken as it simmers.
• Toss and stir until vegetables are coated with sauce and scallops are done cooking, about 1 minute.

And I learned three new scallop-cooking tips.

• Dry the scallops so that they brown better
• Trim off any connective tissue
• Scallops should not be overcooked; they are done when they have a slight opaque color in the center

This recipe is truly quick and easy to make, not to mention healthy (about 400 calories, including the rice). It also can easily be halved and the magazine says that it can be frozen.

Stay tuned because I’ll be sharing a second stir fry that I tried out the same evening.  It was a stir-fry fury!

Do you ever make stir-fry recipes?  Are you a pro at cooking scallops?  Oh, and how do you pronounce scallops where you live?  Here in Maine we say it so that “scall” rhymes with “call,” not “cal.”