Tag Archives: Teriyaki

FFF EP – 25: BACON-WRAPPED TERIYAKI SCALLOPS

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rcUZYR8rKQ

Hey, Food Friends, have we got another great show lined up for you this week! We’re serving up seafood!

Now, on a previous show (Episode 22 – SEARED SCALLOPS ON A BED OF SPINACH AND WHITE BEANS), we also used scallops; however, those were … umm … shall I say of the “smallish” variety (though still quite good).

So, I went on a mission to find something a wee bit bigger but, before doing that, I had some learning to do regarding scallop size, and found this great article that explains it.

Added to my research responsibility, I also had to find a place that sold these bigger scallops and, boy, did I luck out with my local Costco as they had U10 in the frozen section (U10 are the biggest). Speaking of frozen, the “Cook This Not That” cookbook we are reviewing (and having much fun with by turning some of the recipes upside down) mentioned that scallops you find in most grocery stores are indeed previously frozen. In Ontario – if not all provinces – signage must state that seafood was previously frozen if put out for sale once thawed; fresh is reserved for actual fresh product. Therefore, I did not feel all that bad about buying the frozen variety (hey, I can thaw stuff, too).

The scallops had to be marinated in teriyaki sauce which I dutifully did though overnight which worked out well. For most seafood, 30 minutes is enough but overnight didn’t hurt.

I picked out a nice bacon (dry smoked and on the thicker side) which I carefully wrapped around the scallops. TIP: if I had to do it again – which I will – I would cut the bacon slices in half to wrap around, as we found we risked either not cooking the bacon fully or ruining the scallops by cooking too long; yuck, who wants tough scallops [Editor adds, especially after paying good money for them].

We served the scallops on a lush bed of greens along with homemade asian dressing.
Boy, we felt that we were dining at a very fine restaurant (albeit in my own studio kitchen [Editor supports Brian by saying that many of the top chefs have special tables for honoured customers smack-dab in the middle of their kitchens]).

Like scallops and want a keeper of a recipe, then this one is for you, my friends (and I will definitely make this again [Editor is full of glee as long as she’s invited!]).

Till next time, have some fun with your food and bring along some friends, too!

Enjoy!
B & H =;)

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Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

Review: Bacon Wrapped Teriyaki Scallops

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

What a delightful surprise (and a special one at that) to learn what tonight’s ingredients would be. Brian had gone the extra mile by marinating the scallops overnight rather than the insignificant amount of time prescribed by The Book. Though, in the morning, he drained off the sauce to prevent the scallops from actually getting cooked by the acids. The scallops were enormous. See me so not complaining. Anyway, other than reaffirming the fact that dinner was wonderful, I really have nothing to add. ::pauses for a second:: Okay, okay, just a few words.

Variations

In other episodes, I usually go on a bit of a culinary adventure, recommending different MAIN ingredients. But NOT this time. Bacon-wrapped scallops are one of those timeless classics that deserve their reputation as luxurious food. Scallops are definitely an unchangeable ingredient. So, what could you change? Well, if you’re not a huge fan of teriyaki sauce, then try other sauces. What about: * black bean sauce * honey mustard sauce * sweet chili sauce * curry sauce * coconut and coriander sauce * ginger and garlic sauce Simply think of any intense (that doesn’t mean it’s strong, merely full of flavour) sauce that you really enjoy and give it a try. If you’re not crazy about wrapping bacon around scallops and broiling (keeping your fingers crossed that the bacon will crisp but the scallops won’t be overcooked), then sear the scallops separately in a pan before tossing with smaller pieces of crisp bacon and then arranging artfully on a salad that uses a complementary dressing. Oh ::catches breath:: I think I’m going to dream about scallops tonight!

Cooking time (duration): 45

Diet (other): Low calorie, High protein

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating: 5 stars: ????? 1 review(s)

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Ep – 16 Grilled Chicken Sandwich (the extremely short version)

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSqKjtl2dJc
When the video starts to play click on the triangle to make a video quality change depending on your Internet speed (360P, 480P, 720P HD or now 1080P HD – our default is 720P HD).

Alright … well, don’t laugh but I did something very silly, though with really good intentions of course (as if there were any other kind). We picked out a great chicken sandwich recipe for this episode and proceeded to film as per usual (more about that in a sec from Helenka [Evil editor’s startled note: what … who … what…?]). One of the things I’ve learned to do to reduce the amount of editing time is to stop the camera while we are waiting for something to finish cooking or during some of the less than exciting prep work. Well, it was all good at the start as I knew the camera was on; but, when it came time to do some prep while the chicken was cooking, I turned the camera off (at least I thought it was off). Then Helenka and I proceeded to carry on as we do normally, just gabbing about anything while I cut up stuff with nary a care in the world (lol).

When I finished the prep and it was time to get back to filming and cooking the remainder of the meal, I turned the camera back on (or so I thought). We finished the episode and I turned the camera off again but, by this point, paranoia had set in ‘cuz I thought there was something weird. Weird on its own is usually fine but this weird was different (I’m laughing as I write this) because what I was actually doing was turning the camera OFF when I thought it was ON and ON when I thought the camera was OFF (sigh, yes, completely opposite of what you are supposed to do). Needless to say, this is probably our weirdest and shortest episode yet (6 minutes or so); however – as they say – the show must go on, so I managed to salvage what I could. You will even see a segment with me alone in the kitchen explaining what we had done (after I’d discovered the on/off confusion and tried to make up for it but the horse had already left the barn by that point) and showing the finished dish while Helenka sat in the living room, commenting off-camera and calling me a goof (which I proudly admit to all of you now).

Have yourselves a GREAT week and enjoy!!!
B&H =:)

Please note: We try and review the recipes in the cookbook; however, in an effort to respect copyright, we are not able to reproduce the actual printed recipes here. If you do have the book, please follow along with us!

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Review: Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

This was an unusual recipe, from the ingredients to the presentation. Brian grilled two chicken breasts that had been marinated in a commercial bottled Teriyaki sauce. He also grilled pineapple slices, as well as the buns. Assembling the food, he added a titch more Teriyaki sauce (my suggestion) to the bottom bun, before placing the chicken breast with melted Swiss cheese, topping it with a thin entire slice of red onion (yes, I’m bouncing up and down because I love red onion), home-made pickled jalapeno peppers (oh, Brian, will you please make me a jar), the pineapple and the top of the bun.

The salad mix was exquisite. I’m certain he’s told you exactly what the component ingredients were, but I’ll just mention one of his surprises, namely fermented black garlic which I’d never had before. We took a chance (well, you know we do that) with the salad dressing. Using The Book’s formula (one oil, one acid and one or more flavour enhancers), I chose Extra Virgin Olive oil, Red Wine vinegar, honey and chopped garlic. My hope was that the honey would even out any heat from the jalapenos and the garlic would provide an echo of the Teriyaki sauce (which did in fact contain garlic).

Well, the salad dressing was amazing, the honey acting exactly the way I wanted it to and lingering on the tongue. The chicken was excellent, with one unexpected texture feature: the extra-crispy bottom that was pressed against the bun. However (to my great shock), I felt there was Too. Much. Food! Meaning too much chicken. I couldn’t believe I am writing this, as all I’d had to eat during the day had been one glass of fruit juice and two avocados. So, if we were ever to make this dish again, I would cut the portion of meat in half, slicing the chicken breast in order to halve its thickness.

Variations

Brian agreed with me that there was far too much meat. So I suggested that what might work (if one didn’t want to keep the sandwich format) would be to grill the chicken after marinating, then cutting it into bite-sized chunks, before tossing it with the salad ingredients. In fact, keeping the red onion, pickled jalapeno and grilled pineapple would be ideal, especially with a repeat of the honey-garlic salad dressing. I would also add many other grilled or fresh fruits (peach, strawberry, pear, watermelon … etc., ad infinitum) and serve this as a spectacular summer salad. The swiss cheese could be added (or not), but I don’t think I would miss its presence. And I could see the per-serving caloric and other counts dropping significantly.

I would call this verdict a toss-up. The basic idea was okay, but our variation would make it far better. [Helenka calls out to Brian: Hey, you want to publish a cookbook, maybe?]

Cooking time (duration): 60

Diet (other): Reduced fat

Number of servings (yield): 2

Meal type: supper

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

My rating:3 stars: ★★★☆☆

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