madbaker | A scallop is not an escalope

This week's Resolution Recipe: Scallops a la Big Al.

Ashbless claimed a friend of his named Al Fowler told him this recipe. It's pretty simple: you figure out how much teriyaki sauce is required to submerge the quantity of bay scallops you want to cook, and to that volume of teriyaki - let's call it four cups per two pounds of scallops, Ashbless was always generous with marinades - to that you'd add about a half tablespoon of Tabasco and three tablespoons of grated fresh ginger and four minced garlic cloves. Stir it up and let it sit for an hour to achieve equilibrium; then taste it, and add more of any of the ingredients you think it needs - possibly including teriyaki sauce, if Ashbless's basic mix is spicier than you like.

Add the scallops to the marinade and let them soak overnight.

Next day, fish the scallops out of the teriyaki - they will of course have turned brown - and dry them off and wrap each in a half-strip of bacon. Spear them through the bacon-edge on flat-bladed metal skewers and cook them over charcoal - they won't need basting, as the bacon will keep them oiled (though you are free to splash the marinade onto the skewers with a brush of fresh rosemary or something if you insist). In fact, the bacon grease will tend to start flare-ups in the coals, so be ready with a can of beer to splash onto the flames. Of course you could intersperse pieces of onion and mushroom and bell pepper among the scallops. When the bacon is done - browned and medium-crisp - the scallops are done too. Give everybody a skewer or two and sit down.

My interpreted version (it's not often I have to interpret from a modern recipe...)

Oops, I have no commercial teriyaki sauce in the house. That's okay, I have a book of sauce recipes. Starting there:
1/2 cup chicken stock (I used house-made)
1/4 cup dry vermouth
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

Thoroughly combine all the ingredients.

Teriyaki from above, about 3/4 cup
1/2 lb jumbo sea scallops
approximately 1/3 lb house-cured bacon
one large onion, slivered
1 orange or red bell pepper, chunked
8-10 largeish button mushrooms

Soak the scallops in the teriyaki overnight. Remove scallops and pat dry, reserving teriyaki for a future stir-fry. Wrap scallops in bacon (mmm, bacon) and skewer with veg. Broil in the toaster oven for ten to twenty minutes because you don't feel like firing up the smoker for ten minutes' cooking.

What worked: They tasted fine, and looked pretty. Not difficult to put together - this would be a good recipe to do in quantity.

What didn't: There was nothing spectacular about it. Grilling over charcoal would have imparted a good smoky flavor, I'm sure.

Will I make it again? Meh. I'm more likely to re-make smoked scallops instead.