Tea Smoked Scallops

I was considering whether or not to just do the scallops in this post or to include the veggies. I have decided that the green beans and mashed potatoes deserve their own blog posts.

These scallops were a bit of an adventure for me. I've never smoked anything before. I didn't even know I could until I saw a recipe for pork smoked in a wok. However, I didn't feel like smoking a whole pork roast, so I decided to go with something smaller but just as delicious.

You can smoke anything like this. It's more common to see things like pork or duck, but you can just as easily smoke fish, chicken, or even spices using this method. I was recently thinking about trying to smoke some soy sauce but haven't gotten around to it.

To make this, you'll need:

12-14 large sea scallops (roughly 1 lbs)

Smoking Mixture

1 cup black tea leaves

1 cup white rice

1 cup brown sugar

6 star anise, broken into pieces

1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns

Sauce

1 shallot, minced

6-8 pickled jalapeño rings, minced

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 1/2 tbsp honey

Lime infused vinegar (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp fish sauce

Coriander powder

Salt and pepper to taste

First, line a wok with tin foil and spread the smoking mixture evenly inside. It should be about 1cm deep.

Wash and dry the scallops. Place a rack in the wok and arrange the scallops on it. Turn the heat on high. Once it starts smoking, put the lid overtop of the scallops.

Smoke the scallops for 10 minutes or until they turn golden on the outside and taste like a campfire.

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle it over the scallops. Serve with whatever you want. We had ours with Stir Fried Green Beans and mashed potatoes. It was delicious.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 13 minutes