Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

Yes, You Can

Tell someone you’re grilling scallops and they look at you funny. “You mean, on the barbecue?” Yes, the same BBQ you use to grill up your dogs and burgers and steaks and chicken and pizza (see Roscoe’s Grilled Pita Pizza). Just because they’re delicate and mysterious doesn’t mean you can’t grill ‘em. In fact, they may be best on the grill.

What Is A Scallop?

Good question. The quick answer: Scallops are those round seafood things that we like to get in restaurants but don’t really know how to cook ourselves. Or are afraid to.

The Real Answer:

A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk. See why we usually go with the quick answer? Who’d want to eat that? Especially when we don’t even know what a mollusk is. But just so you don’t click to another website, we’ll tell you: A mollusk is a soft bodied invertebrate animal.

Who Cares?!

We just want to eat he darn things, and we want them to taste as good as they can. No one cares that medieval pilgrims would present themselves to churches and castles and other refuges with a scallop shell in their hands and be given as much sustenance as they could get with one scoop. Sort of like a medieval bailout, or today’s equivalent of food stamps. The thing is, though, they could also get a scoop of beer or wine with that shell. Which is where the phrase “Give me a shell” started in bars. Now, of course, it’s just “Give me a draft,” or if we’ve never been to a particular bar: “What’s on tap?” And for sure no one cares that pagans considered scallop shells a sign of fertility, because they were obviously wrong. Think about it: how many pagans are around today?

Start With A Hot Grill

Okay, who doesn’t? But it’s really important here, or your scallops will stick, and no one wants that. And you’ve gotta oil the grill, too, or… well, let’s just try to remember: sticking is bad.

Not Necessary To Marinate

What?! Roscoe’s not marinating?! Alert the media! Call in the National Guard! Get Emeril on the phone! (Or better yet, get Rachael Ray). But don’t worry, Roscoe hasn’t flipped. We’re still going to make ‘em taste good, we’re just gonna do it from the outside. The only thing a scallop needs is a little crust of spice and a good sear. Believe it: if everything were this simple, we might not need Roscoe.

Prep The Scallops

Remove that little muscle sticking out of the side (if your fish guy hasn’t already done it), just snip it off with a sharp knife or shears. Rinse and pat dry, the only moisture we want on a scallop is the stuff we put on it ourselves: a little olive oil. Oil the entire scallop, then dust it with Cholula Chili Garlic POWDER. Then put your scallops back in the fridge for a couple of minutes (maybe 15) so they get cold. That’s right…

Grill ‘em Cold

No room temp for this fish, the cold helps them sear up and not stick to your grill. 2-3 minutes per side, hit ‘em with a shot of Worcestershire or Teriyake or any other favorite sauce during the last minute or so, then pull ‘em off and serve. A nice pasta salad goes well, or you can just put the scallops right in the salad.

Now You’re Fishin’ With Roscoe