Canapes are so often disappointing; too small, sadly an afterthought. These are anything but.
The ultimate in surf and turf; perfectly marinated large garlicky maple scallops wrapped in salty smoked bacon and baked on toothpicks for decadent pop in your mouth canapes. You might be advised to make double.
(This recipe first featured in the Daily Mail’s You magazine). Photography by Howard Shooter.
Lots of great recipes like this in my books, Recipes from a Normal Mum, (available on Amazon, at The Works, Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets) and The Power of Frozen (available exclusively in Iceland stores and through their website) which is just £2.99 at the mo! And no, the recipes are not just about frozen food. Every recipe has instructions of how to make with chilled ingredients too.
Last December: Two minute marinade for chicken and Melted snowman biscuits and Egg nog truffles and Chocolate biscuit Christmas pudding and Drunken Amaretto mince pies and Cheese concertina loaf and Hot chocolate on a stick and Sausage, sage and squash lasagne and Chocolate hazelnut granola and Orange and cranberry loaf and Chocolate ganache tart.
Two years ago: My slow cooker beef bourguignon pie and Crumble topped mince pies and a very ugly but delicious cranberry & raspberry traybake
Three years ago: Mini Yorkshire pudding canapes and Christmas pudding fizz and Brandy butter icing and Rudolf morsels
Four years ago: Lime meringue pie with chocolate pastry and Christmas scones and Ginger cake with Christmas cottage and Hot chocolate on a stick
Five years ago: Moonuts and Cheese biscuits and Parsnip soup and Inauthentic chicken tagine
Bacon wrapped scallops
Serves 10 (2 each)
Ingredients:
- 10 rashers of smoked bacon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 20 Iceland Scallops, defrosted (500g)
- 50g salted butter, melted
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Cut any tough rind from the bacon slices and cut in half lengthwise so you have 20 long pieces (don’t be tempted to cut off the thinner fattier end entirely, you need this otherwise the bacon doesn’t wrap around the scallop fully), then fry in a pan over a low heat with a little olive oil until just starting to colour, but not crispy. The bacon needs to be flexible enough to wrap around the scallops.
Mix together the melted butter, garlic, paprika, black pepper and maple syrup in a small bowl and dip each scallop into the mixture then wrap a strip of bacon around the side of the scallops. Push a toothpick through the centre of the scallop, to secure the bacon on either side.
Place the wrapped scallops onto the prepared baking tray, brush with the remaining butter marinade and bake for 15 minutes until the scallops are cooked through and the bacon crispy.
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