Deb’s Kitchen | Scallop and bacon skewers: A cherished family recipe revealed

By Deb Quinn

May 31, 2024

Debbie Quinn: A culinary journey from family roots to your table. Photo by Megan Fisher

Debbie Quinn has a lifelong love of food and cooking, nurtured in her parents’ restaurants and in her own family’s kitchen. Every fortnight she shares her passion and expertise with our readers, bringing her best recipes, tips and tricks to the table.

Deb’s scallop and bacon skewers

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This recipe has long been a favourite in the Quinn family and probably gets the most votes for the favourite dish ever. My father-in-law, Pat Quinn, would trot this one out as an entrée at a dinner party or just as a treat for the family, which would always meet with rave reviews. He presented the dish in an annual cooking competition against Peter Fitzpatrick and Andrew Simson and won the prestigious Wire Whisk Trophy that year easily. Affectionately known in the family as scallop kebabs, I’ve updated the name, but the recipe is the same. It’s simple to make, and I promise this will wow your family and friends.

Ingredients

12 scallops

3 long rashers of bacon

2 cups of breadcrumbs

Zest of 1 lemon

Small handful of finely chopped parsley

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and black pepper

3 eggs

125g butter

Juice of one lemon

Method

Dry the scallops on a paper towel and set aside. Trim the rind of the bacon; you need to keep the bacon rasher intact to assemble the skewer. In a food processor, blend 2 cups of breadcrumbs. Don’t overprocess because a coarse blend of crumbs works best.

To the crumb mixture, add the zest of one lemon, a small handful of finely chopped parsley, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and add a good grind of salt and black pepper. Place the crumb mixture on a flat dinner plate.

Beat the eggs with a fork until blended, and put the egg mixture on a dinner plate; you’ll need enough lip on the plate to contain the egg wash.

Use a metal skewer to assemble the ingredients. Start with one end of the bacon, then add one scallop. Then, wrap the bacon around the first scallop and attach it to the skewer. Repeat this step until you have four scallops, and finish by securing the other end of the bacon. The photos help explain the assembly.

Place the skewers in the egg wash and use a spoon to make sure the whole skewer is well covered with the egg mixture. Then, place the skewer on the crumb mixture and use your hands to get a good coating of crumbs on the bacon and scallops. Place the skewers on a flat metal tray.

Melt 125g butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds or until liquid, then add the juice of one lemon to the melted butter.

You need to cook the skewers under a grill on high heat. Use a pastry brush or a spoon to baste the top of the skewers and place them under the grill. Keep an eye on the skewers, and when the crumbs start to brown and the bacon is sizzling, take the tray out and quarter-turn the skewers, baste again with the lemon butter and place back under the grill. Repeat this step until you have cooked four sides of the skewers.

You can serve the skewers on their own as a delicious small dish or with some rice for a more substantial meal.

Deb’s tips

Fresh scallops are great, but you can also get excellent results using frozen scallops. I buy a kilo bag of Neptune brand frozen scallops from Ritchies IGA in Tatura, use what I need, and keep the rest in the freezer for next time. Thaw the scallops in one layer on a plate at room temperature, then dry with a paper towel.

For the breadcrumbs, you can use any bread you have in the kitchen, but breads like sourdough and ciabatta make great crumbs for this recipe. The idea is to get quite a coarse breadcrumb coating because the larger crumbs toast up to a great crunch under the grill. If you are time-poor, then a bag of panko breadcrumbs will also work.

You need good bacon rashers long enough to wrap the scallops in the skewer. I get mine from Deli Europa. Take off the rind, but you should retain most of the fat because it renders under the grill and becomes a bit charred and absolutely delicious.

You can assemble and prepare the skewers with the egg wash and breadcrumbs in advance so you can clean up and have the skewers in the fridge and ready to pop under the grill whenever you want.

This recipe makes three skewers, but you can make as many as you like; add bacon and scallops to suit.