Grilled Sea Scallops With Corn and Pepper Salsa
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 12medium tomatillos, husks removed, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1jalapeño, seeds and veins removed to lessen heat if desired
- 2large ears fresh sweet corn, kernels removed (about 1½ cups)
- 2medium sweet red bell peppers, or a mixture of colors, finely diced
- 1small red onion, finely diced
- 2tablespoons lime juice
- Salt to taste
- 12large sea scallops (about 1½ pounds)
- Salt and pepper
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Lime wedges, for garnish
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
For the Salsa
For the Scallops
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
175 calories; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 552 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare a charcoal fire for grilling (or use a ridged stovetop grill pan).
- Step 2
Make the salsa: Place the tomatillos and jalapeño in a blender or food processor and pulse to make a rough purée. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in corn, bell peppers, onion and lime juice. Add ½ teaspoon salt. Let salsa rest for a few minutes, then taste and adjust salt.
- Step 3
Season sea scallops with salt and pepper on both sides and drizzle with olive oil. Rub with fingers to distribute and coat scallops with seasoning.
- Step 4
When the grill is medium hot, set the scallops on it in a single layer. Leave for 3 minutes, until well browned. (It’s O.K. to lift an edge to peek, but don’t try to turn the scallops until they have colored well or they’ll stick to the grill.) When they are nicely crisped and browned turn each scallop with tongs and cook for another 3 minutes, until cooked through.
- Step 5
Transfer scallops to a serving platter and spoon some salsa over them. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs. Pass the salsa at the table.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Horacio
The corn is not cooked?
ajd
Sure, dry-packed scallops are ideal but tend to show up only in select markets where people of means are willing to pay the hefty premium. If you trust your local fish monger, buy the plump ones with some slime on them, making sure they are basically the same size so they can be cooked evenly. Peel off the small side muscle if still there, rinse well, and dry them thoroughly. Then dry them again as you put them on the grill. They won't crisp otherwise.
Mike Atwell
12 medium tomatillos are way more than one cup. I think maybe you meant 1 or 2.
B. Tracy Madison
If the corn is right off the stalk it is fabulous raw in either salsa or a corn salad with cherry tomatoes. . .especially younger ears-fresh and sweet and delightful.
John
The raw corn is excellent, and lends a textural balance to the tender scallops. The recipe makes a prodigious amount of salsa, it can be safely halved.
Barbara
If the corn is fresh, no need to cook it first.
Ellen Offner
Please answer the question about whether to cook the corn before scraping the kernels. Thanks!
Donald Chae
Cooked corn or not was our question too. We are going to use roasted corn.
Charlie
Dry the scallops and lightly salt on all surfaces with kosher salt for two or three hours. This will increase moistness and tenderness, even if they cook a little too long. No need to add salt before cooking.
Maggie
I added cilantro to the salsa and cooked the corn on the cob briefly (about 3 mins). Also, since my family isn't a big red pepper fan, I left those out. It was delicious!
William M
The recipe makes way too much salsa for the weight of scallops called for. Also the onion dominates the flavor of the salsa. I will definitely make this again but will cut the salsa in half and will leave out the onion.
Michelle
I agree. I used 3 tomatillos for 1 cup. Now I guess I need to make salsa verde with the rest. Very good recipe though.
Gretta
I used three ears of corn that I cooked with their husks on in the microwave for 5 minutes - which leaves the kernels crisp but sweeter and the corn hair comes off with the husk (see youtube for video instructions). I added two mangos and used an orange as well as a red pepper and two instead of one jalapeno pepper. Grilled scallops were from the farmers market and I had all on individual plates of lettuce. Served with homemade corn bread. A big hit for brunch!!
Sharon
Raw corn is wonderful in salads.
Paul P.
Salt will pull too much moisture if done this far ahead, leading to more rubbery texture.
Diane
Does anyone have any other (than the boiled potatoes) side dish recommendations for this recipe?
Gretchen
The tomatillos we buy from the Spanish speaking farmers in CAs Central Valley are about the size of a large cherry tomato. That’s probably where the number 12 comes from.
DAC
WW: 5pp (added a can of black beans to salsa)
Grace
This makes for a wonderfully bright and light dinner! My grocery was out of tomatillos and the Internet suggested I sub for gooseberries/golden berries, which was a delightful swap that I think I actually enjoyed more. Served it up with boiled baby potatoes and a watermelon arugula feta salad to round out the meal!
Amycita
Recipe makes about twice as much salsa as the scallops need, but it's fine eaten as a salad-type side. I would go with 12 small tomatillos and ignore the cup measurement--i used about 9 small and medium and they got kind of lost in the salsa, and it would have been good with a little more liquid too. Regardless, very good.
Mickela
fresh raw corn is delicious.
G. Hoyle
Use 12 tomatillos. You won't be sorry. This is what makes it great.
LJ30
I roasted the corn and the two jalapeños and the tomatillos. I also added about 3 cloves of garlic to the tomatillo salsa. I made it with a side of quinoa too, and this turned out incredible!
Chef Carlos
Excellent sauce but a bit too thin. Grilling the scallops is not the best way to cook them in my opinion. Better to put a cast iron pizza pan on the grill, get it hot and cook the scallops that way. Much better crust and taste. However, excellent recipe even with my suggestions
Loriltx
Wasn’t too impressed with this. I ended up adding a can of crushed pineapple and some crushed red pepper to make it interesting. Put a cup each of the salsa in the middle of 4 shallow round bowls, topped with 4 scallops each, and then put triangular blue corn tortilla chips around the edge of the salsa (wide side down under the salsa). It certainly made a beautiful dish. I will probably make it again as it is a good summer dish, and everyone else thought it was fantastic.
Key
As described but Added cilantro to puree. plated as a salad witch sliced avocado, tiny tomatoes and mixed greens. Served with blue corn tortilla chips for excess salsa snacking
Randy
I served the scallops on rice and covered it with the salsa, so I disagree with the commenters who said the recipe made too much. The salsa is fresh and healthy and it's the vegetable component of the meal, so at my house it was the star of the plate.
Gordeaux
I didn't cook the corn, but if you get fresh, sweet summer corn (e.g.- New Jersey silver queen) you don't need to. Off-season imported corn should be steamed for 5 minutes. Tomatillos yield a tablespoon or two in salsa each. So, you need about 12. The writer of the comment saying to use 1 or 2 tomatillos must've been using tomatoes. Tomatillos not the same as tomatoes (same family). Tomatillos are a small, green vegetable with a husk that, when peeled look like small tomatoes.
Gordeaux
This was great, but the picture is misleading. The picture shows at least a half pound of scallops (an entrée portion), which is one-third of the scallops in the recipe. But the recipe makes a lot more than SIX times the amount of salsa shown. So, if you're going to serve it like the picture does, buy 3 lbs. of scallops (6 entrees). And while there is dill in the picture, there is none in the recipe. I would avoid dill, as cilantro is better for this.
Kluski
I disagree about the photo being misleading. This is platter service, as described in the recipe.
hanna
Used half the onion and soaked in cold water hot 5 min to remove some of the bite. Added in cilantro- probable avocado next time! Served over arugula.
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