These sweet citrus scallop skewers are an easy seafood dinner that can be prepared on your Blackstone griddle (or any griddle) and are ready in just 30 minutes. A quick bath in an orange, oil, and Aleppo pepper marinade turns this simple seafood into a superstar.
If your seafood skewer game is limited to shrimp skewers, I highly recommend giving these griddle scallops with citrus marinade a try. They're so quick to make and have a wonderfully sweet citrusy flavor. Serve them with easy Blackstone zucchini fritters, or a quick cilantro lime coleslaw and some steamed rice for an exceptionally easy meal.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy to make and ready in just 30 minutes.
- It can be prepared on your Blackstone griddle, electric griddle, or on your cast iron griddle over the grill or campfire.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Scallops--Use sea scallops for these griddle scallop skewers. Although they aren't as sweet as bay scallops, they're less expensive, widely available, and will be much easier to thread onto skewers.
- Orange--Use a big juicy orange, like a navel orange here so that you get plenty of orange juice and zest to flavor the scallops. One orange should give you about ¼ cup juice and 1 ½ tablespoons zest.
- Oil--Any neutral vegetable oil or olive oil will work here.
- Aleppo pepper--This has a mild fruity flavor which is hard to replicate with any other pepper. I highly recommend seeking it out online or at a specialty spice shop. If it's not available to you, mix ⅜ teaspoon paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper to use as a substitute.
Important Steps
- Whisk the orange zest and juice, oil, and Aleppo pepper in a large bowl. Add the scallops, cover, and marinate in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Drain the scallops and gently pat dry.
- Thread the scallops onto skewers and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the scallops on a griddle until opaque throughout, flipping once.
FAQs
There are a few differences between the two types of scallops. One, as indicated by their names, is where they're found. Bay scallops are usually found in shallow water, like bays or estuaries, while sea scallops live in deeper waters.
Bay scallops are generally sweeter and more delicate than their deep water counterpart, and often more expensive.
The most noticeable difference between the two is their size. Bay scallops are small, with a diameter of about 1 inch, while sea scallops are significantly larger, often measuring 2 inches in diameter.
Scallops often come with a muscle attached to the side, which looks like a small white lump. These should be removed before cooking, and are easy to pull off by pinching the muscle and pulling it away from the scallop.
Uncooked scallops will appear slightly translucent with a pinkish hue, and feel a little mushy when prodded. When scallops are cooked through they turn white throughout, and the texture becomes firmer. When poked with your finger, a cooked scallop should feel mostly firm.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Don't marinate for longer than 1 hour or they can become mushy when cooked. Also, take care not to overcook your scallops, as they can become tough and rubbery.
- Some types of skewers may prevent all of the scallops from having direct contact with the surface of the griddle. If they don't have direct contact with the griddle surface while they're cooking, press on them gently.
- This seafood dinner recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
More Skewer Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Citrus Scallop Skewers
Equipment
- Griddle (Blackstone, Camp Chef, Electric)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 large orange
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 14 ounces (400 g) sea scallops side muscle removed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, orange zest and juice, and Aleppo pepper together.
- Add the scallops and give everything a good stir so that all of the scallops are coated in the marinade. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
- Drain the scallops and spread them on a baking sheet. Gently pat them dry with paper towel. It's fine if the zest and pepper stick to the scallops; you're just trying to remove any excess moisture.
- Thread the scallops onto skewers. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat your griddle to medium-high.
- Cook the skewers, flipping once, until both sides are golden and the scallops are opaque throughout, about 3 minutes per side.
Notes
- Don't marinate for longer than 30 minutes or they can become mushy when cooked. Also, take care not to overcook your scallops, as they can become tough and rubbery.
- Some types of skewers may prevent all of the scallops from having direct contact with the surface of the griddle. If they don't have direct contact with the griddle surface while they're cooking, press on them gently.
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
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