Sea Scallops with a Jalapeño and Grapefruit Marinade

These Sea Scallops with a Jalapeño and Grapefruit Marinade are so sweet, tender, and succulent. 

These scallops were fresh, meaty, and dry, meaning they weren't soaked in phosphates to help them stay moist. Both kinds of scallops are perfectly fine, but the dry scallops are much easier to brown and develop a crust.

To read more about wet and dry scallops, check out this explanation from The Kitchn.

These scallops are marinated in grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, a generous amount of jalapeños and cilantro. The heat is fairly mild, despite the amount of jalapeño, and is a fabulous contrast to the sweet, sweet flavor of the scallops.

These can be grilled on a barbecue or a very hot grill pan, which is what I did. I used my Staub 12 inch grill pan. I got it screaming hot, brushed it with oil, and grilled the scallops. Check out the grill marks.

These scallops are soooo good. I totally splurged on them and have no regrets. This recipe is totally scalable (doubled or tripled), and it would be the most amazing dish to serve for your foodie friends.

We had this with rice and this delicious stir-fried baby bok choy with Sichuan pepper and salt (and carrots) from my dear friend Grace Young's amazing book, Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge. (This book is amazing). The recipe for the bok choy is on page 189.

This month, the Fish Friday Foodies group is cooking seafood on a stick! The theme was chosen by my friend Sue of Palatable Pastime. Thanks so much Sue!

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517@gmail.com.Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

Sea Scallops with a Jalapeño and Grapefruit Marinade Recipe

Serves two

Ingredients

4 bamboo skewers

Grated zest of one grapefruit, plus the juice

2 tablespoons minced jalapeños, including seeds

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1/4 cup white vermouth

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

6 large sea scallops

salt and white pepper

Vegetable oil

Small amount of Sweet red chili dipping sauce or a sauce of your choice, optional

Instructions

1. If you are going to use a barbecue, soak the skewers in water for 20 minutes. You can skip this step if you are going to use a grill pan. 
2. In a bag, add the zest, grapefruit juice, jalapeños, cilantro, scallions, vermouth, and olive oil. 
3. Add the scallops and make sure they are coated with the marinade. 
4. Marinate the scallops for one hour. 
5. Remove the scallops from the bag and double skewer them, three on each set of skewers. 
6. Brush the scallops with vegetable oil.
7. Heat the grill or grill pan on high. When the grill/pan is super hot, brush it with vegetable oil. 
8. Place the skewers on the grill and cook on one side for three minutes. Turn them over, and grill for another 3 minutes. 
9. Brush lightly with a very thin coat of sweet red chili sauce or a sauce of your choice, and serve. 

Recipe adapted from Fish without a Doubt.

Check out the rest of the amazing seafood on a stick recipes!

An InLinkz Link-up