A Spicy Scallop Appetizer

This Spicy Scallop Appetizer jazzes up the usual plain-old, battered scallops with the addition of green and red chili to the coating mix.

Back when I was a kid growing up in Maritime Canada, Clams and Chips were nearly as popular is Fish and Chips and, if you were in a restaurant that served both of these, it was generally a safe bet that you could get Scallops and Chips as well.

Scallops and Chips generally used the larger variety usually of scallop referred to as ‘Sea Scallops’, and even a half-dozen of these, along with chips and coleslaw, made for a very filling meal. For this appetizer version, I am using the smaller Bay Scallops, and I have jazzed up the usual plain batter coating …

How to make this Spicy Scallop Appetizer

The coating mix is a standard egg batter with finely minced fresh green chili, dried red chili flakes, and a little garlic salt. Chilling the mix in the refrigerator makes it a little easier to work with later.

When you are ready to cook, heat your deep-fry oil to medium and take your batter out of the fridge. I find it easiest to use a skewer to dip each scallop into the batter before sliding them individually into the oil.

NOTE: Some recipes call for main ingredients to be dusted with flour before coating with batter. If you chill the batter and are deep-frying small items immediately after coating them you can generally skip this step.

You don’t want to overcrowd your oil as the scallops will stick together, so it is best to fry just a few at a time. As they become golden, remove to paper towels to drain and skim away the ‘bits’ that accumulate.

Once all the scallops have been fried, you can add them all back into the oil for a further ‘crisping’. Once done, serve hot along with the traditional Tartar sauce, or whatever condiment you fancy…

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Spicy Scallop Appetizer

This Spicy Scallop Appetizer jazzes up the usual plain-old, boring battered scallops with the addition of green and red chili to the coating mix.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: Chillies, Scallops

Author: John Thompson

Ingredients

• 12-18 Bay Scallops
• ½ Cup Flour
• 1 Egg
• ¼ Cup Green Chili finely minced
• 1 Tbsp. Dried Red Chili Flakes
• 1 tsp. Garlic Salt

Instructions

• Beat the egg with the flour and add just enough water to make a thick batter, then stir in both sorts of chili and the garlic salt. Place the mix in the refrigerator to chill.
• Heat deep-fry oil to medium hot, coat the scallops with batter, and, working in small batches to avoid sticking, deep-fry them until nicely golden.
• Do a second fry of all the scallops together for a half-minute or so, then drain well on paper towels.
• Serve, garnished as you like, with Tartar Sauce, or your dipping condiment of choice.