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Scallops Hong Kong Style for #SundaySupper

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Scallops Hong Kong Style | Magnolia Days

Moderation is key to a healthy lifestyle. It has taken me a lot of years and different “diets” to figure it out. I’ve done low-sugar, low-carb, low-fat, those with packaged food you have to buy, and many more. I had great results. The problem came later when I was faced with eating regular food. I did not know how to balance it all. The combination of moderation, portion control, not depriving myself of foods I love, and exercise is what works for me. When I indulge one day I follow it up the next day with light meal like Scallops Hong Kong Style.

Use dry packed sea scallops for the recipe. They may be hard to find. This I know very well. I had to drive 50 miles round-trip to get them from Whole Foods. Why dry packed? Scallops that are wet packed have been soaked in a solution to keep them whiter. The solution will release when you are trying to sear them and you will have too much liquid to get the right sear. Think of it more like steaming at that point. You want a nice brown crust on each side of the scallop. Put them in the pan, don’t move them around or fiddle with them. Let them sear for a couple of minutes then turn them over. Ditto for the other side.

The soy-sherry sauce really makes this dish. The saltiness of the soy sauce is balanced with the sherry. Make sure you use dry sherry or it will be too sweet. It is a very thin sauce added on top of the dish at the end. It flows over the scallops and pools around the sautéed spinach. I like serving Scallops Hong Kong Style with brown rice. It is filling and a great way to soak up the sauce.

Scallops Hong Kong Style | Magnolia Days

Want more healthy and lighter recipes? You are in luck! Look at what the talented Sunday Supper bloggers are bringing to the table:

Sizzling Skinny Appetizers & Soups

 Healthy Skinny Mains & Sides

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Wine Pairing Recommendations for Skinny Sunday Supper by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

What a list! It shows how healthy can be delicious too. There is no need to sacrifice flavor when you eat right. What is your favorite way to incorporate good nutrition in your life?

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here → Sunday Supper Movement.

Scallops Hong Kong Style | Magnolia Days
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Scallops Hong Kong Style

A recipe for scallops Hong Kong style. Scallops are seared and served over spinach with a soy-sherry sauce.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Author Renee

Ingredients

For the soy-sherry sauce:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup dry sherry
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

For the scallops:

  • 6 to 8 large or jumbo sea scallops dry packed
  • Cooking oil*
  • Sauteed spinach
  • Small piece of fresh ginger cut into thin julienne strips 3/4-inch long
  • Scallion thin strips about 3/4-inch long

Instructions

For the soy-sherry sauce:

  1. In a small saucepan, add the water and sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Add the soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the sherry and sesame oil. Set aside.

For the scallops:

  1. Prepare the scallops by removing the little "foot" (abductor muscle) if not already removed and pat dry. In a large non-stick skillet or saucepan heat the oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the scallops to the pan, flat side down, and let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes until the bottom has browned. Turn scallops over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Remove scallops from the pan and place on a plate. The scallops will be translucent in the middle. Let scallops rest while sauteing the spinach.
  2. Once the spinach is finished divide it equally on two plates or low-sided bowls. Place scallops on top of the spinach. Spoon sauce over the scallops. Garnish with ginger and scallions. Serve with a side of brown rice (or white rice if preferred).

Recipe Notes

*Choose a cooking oil suited for high temperature cooking/searing.

Recipe inspired by and adapted from one on AZCentral website.

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Comments

  1. Your scallops look delicious, Renee, resting on their beautiful bed of gingery spinach! I am pinning this one to try soon.

    I’ve bought both frozen and fresh scallops and since dry-packed doesn’t seem to be an option here, I dry them well on a bed of paper towels. (At first I thought you meant actual dried scallops or conpoy which feature in a lot of Asian dishes, especially Cantonese from Hong Kong! They are rather like dried salt fish and I have tried without success to feel the love.)

    Reply

  2. Scallops are always a luxury. Every morsel is savored with soy sauce. I feel so lucky to have a Whole Foods a few blocks away so I can request my dry packed scallops. (Great tip!)

    Thank you Renee for this scrumptious post =)

    Reply

  7. Whole Foods has dry packed scallops??? HOORAY…that is, if mine does 🙂 This recipe sounds amazing…especially served over a bed of spinach! A must try recipe!

    Reply

    • You may want to call your local Whole Foods to make sure they carry the dry packed scallops. I called mine before I left to be sure I didn’t make the trip for nothing.

      Reply

  11. Beautiful! I have always wondered why my scallops don’t sear so beautifully as yours and now I know. I will look for those dry packed scallops on my next trip to Whole Foods. Thank you for this information. I cannot wait to make your recipe.

    Reply

    • The dry packed ones do make a difference when searing. Plus you don’t pay for the extra weight of the solution along with the scallops since they are usually sold by weight.

      Reply

  12. This is totally the kind of meal that makes me feel virtuous! My cheeks are actually tingling just thinking about the flavors. And great tip on the dry-pack scallops – it really does make a huge difference!

    Reply

  16. Simple & classic ! Love this Renee. On my ” must make” list ! looks gorgeous too. Thanks again for all your help with Skinny Sunday Supper ! You’re the best !!

    Reply

  21. I’ve never tried dry-packed scallops and, unfortunately, don’t have a Whole Foods nearby. Like Stacy, I’ve found that letting them rest between two layers of paper towels usually does the trick. Love this recipe – delicious and simple!

    Reply

  22. What a delicious recipe and great sentiment. Diets don’t really work in the long run, you have to find delicious food that is balanced and make it a way of life.

    I would love to join your link up next week 🙂 It seems like so much fun, and so many delicious recipes!

    Reply

  24. What an absolutely gorgeous plate! Serving up the scallops on spinach sounds very yummy indeed. And I am loving the adorable little pyramid of brown rice on the side…so cute!

    Reply

  26. Wholefoods is my local store as I live very close by!Your scallops have the perfect sear and looks gorgeous!!I love the contrast of the spinach on your plate.Will be trying it very soon 🙂

    Reply

  27. What a gorgeous dish Renee! I feel the same way with food. First I didn’t know how to handle diets, I always over did it one way or the other, but with time I recognized that the easiest way is to indulge one day and take care the next. ^.^

    Reply

    • I think it take a lot of trial, error, and learning before anyone can get to the point of staying healthy without special diets. It’s all about moderation and exercise.

      Reply

  33. Renee, I LOVE this! thanks for the tip on dry packed sea scallops – I never knew that! also, wow a soy-sherry sauce?! Love it! If scallops weren’t so expensive, I would eat them a lot more often! Totally saving this one for a special day!

    Reply

    • You are welcome Alice and I also wish they were not so expensive or else I would eat them more often too. Then again, it does make eating them more special.

      Reply

  34. Thanks for the tip on the kind of scallop to buy, Renee. Every single time I’ve tried making them at home, they would end up in a giant pool of water and I’d be chewing bland, steamed, chewy scallops. I did some research a while ago that said most places use that solution in their scallops so I just thought, fuggedabout making them at home. I’m going to search high and low now for dry packaged scallops so that I can get a sear as perfect as yours. This is the perfect light delicious meal.

    Reply

    • Thanks Nancy and I’m glad I could help you figure out why your scallops were bland and chewy. I hope your next scallop cooking adventure turns out much better.

      Reply

  35. I’ve been salvating ever since I saw your dish on the forum! I love scallops and I love the soy sherry sauce! I’m going to make this dish with bok choy. Yummy I love bok choi! I love everything about this dish! I totally agree with you on the moderation adivce but it’s so hard when food taste so good. I have a hard time putting down my fork when I am full. 🙁

    Reply

  38. OMG! Delicious!!! simple to make, posted a pic after I was done cooking and you wouldn’t believe how many “likes” i got! Love your website/blog and this is the first recipe that Ive tried ….but I have so many others printed out to make! Thanks for all you do!

    Reply

  39. Carole’s Chatter is collecting scallop dishes today. This is a nice one. I do hope you pop over and link in. This is the link . Cheers

    Reply

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