These smoked bacon-wrapped scallops are the perfect appetizer for a special occasion or dinner party. They have just the right balance of smoky flavor, crisp bacon, and tender diver scallop meat! All you need are several simple ingredients!

Bacon wrapped scallops on a black plate with a bowl of horseradish dipping sauce for serving.

A slice of bacon wrapping almost anything is easily one of our favorite things.

So, if you’re looking for a delicious appetizer with an easy recipe and the best flavor, this simple dish will make the perfect scallops wrapped in bacon strips. Biting into this popular appetizer will give you two textures to excite the senses: the bacon slices have a slight crispness and the tender scallops contrast them. Because they are smoked, not broiled, that bonus depth of flavor really shines and takes this classic nibble to a whole new level!

Pair with a dipping sauce — make extra from the simple horseradish mayo recipe below, or pair with a garlic butter sauce. Bbq scallops are also a popular option; pair them with bbq sauce if you’re seeking an even richer and sweeter taste. But personally, our horseradish mayo below is the best for these.

What are Bacon Wrapped Scallops?

Bacon-wrapped scallops are, believe it or not, scallops wrapped in bacon—ha! Par-cook the slices of bacon, lather them in a zesty sauce, wrap around the larger scallops, hold them together with a toothpick, and smoke it all to perfection for a flavor and texture combo that is absolutely indulgent.

Similar to a fancy restaurant, these scallops are incredible every time.

Close up of succulent cooked scallops wrapped in bacon garnished with minced fresh herbs and course black pepper.

How to buy scallops

Scallops are an all-encompassing name for various sea-dwelling species, such as spiny or thorny oysters. But in this case, we use U-10 sea scallops, also known as diver scallops. Which are hand harvested from the sea floor; read more about this process and the difference between diver and sea scallops on NewEngland.com

With scallops, just like blue crabs or shrimp, the unit number indicates the product’s size and how many you can expect per pound. The lower the number, the bigger the product. For this recipe, you want big meaty scallops, so the bacon can wrap around it all and still retain the scallop taste. We recommend U-12, U-10, or even U-8 and wouldn’t go smaller than for the recipe to retain its amazing flavor. They are one of our favorite treats with pan seared scallops along side a good grilled steak or as an appetizer of sous vide scallops with our smoked horseradish cream sauce for dipping.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops Ingredients

For the bacon-wrapped scallops

Fresh scallops or frozen — large diver scallops, thawed, rinsed, and trimmed if needed. If your scallops are frozen, thaw them completely before cooking.
Horseradish – make sure to buy regular horseradish, and not any ‘sauce’ or ‘creamed’ version.
Chives
Bacon – look for bacon, not thick cut bacon. You want even-sized strips to cook evenly and get the best texture on the smoker.

For the horseradish mayo sauce:

Mayo – we use avocado mayo to keep it keto.
Brown sugar – we use golden monk fruit sweetener to keep it keto.
Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper
Chives

How to Make Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Soak grilling plank according to the manufacturers’ directions. Most wood planks need to soak submerged in water for 20 minutes. We use Western Wood smoking planks.
Prep the smoker for 250F. Avoid adding any aggressive smoking wood or wood chips for this cook, as the delicate meat picks up enough flavor from being on the grill with a wood plank.
Prep the oven to 425 degrees F. Line bacon on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Par-cook bacon until fat is starting to render, but the bacon is still pliable and partially cooked for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Whisk the horseradish and chives together. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements.
Spread the horseradish mix over strips of bacon.
Pat the scallops dry with paper towels when ready to assemble.
Wrap scallops in the bacon, with the horseradish mixture inside along the meat, and secure them with a toothpick.
Pat the grilling plank dry. You want it soaked through but not sopping wet when smoking.
Place scallops on the board about an inch apart, then place the plank on the preheated grill.
Smoke the scallops until an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. All in all the bacon wrapped scallops take about 35 to 40 minutes to cook.
If using a pellet smoker, increase the temp on the when the scallops are almost done cooking to give it a little more flavor.

Smoke, checking as needed not over to cook the scallops.

For the horseradish mayo:

Whisk the mayo, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and chives in a bowl.
Store in the fridge until ready to use. It can be made up to a day ahead of time.

EXPERT RECIPE TIPS

Purchase large sea scallops is best because they will be easier to wrap. See our notes above on sizes.
We have tested these bacon-wrapped scallops on a traditional charcoal grill (kettle), Pit Barrel drum smoker, and Traeger pellet grill. If cooking over charcoal, arrange a two-zone fire by stacking the coals to one side and cooking over indirect heat. We bet, this would even work on an electric smoker.
However, all smokers are different, so make sure you temp your scallops with a digital meat thermometer to ensure they are at an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. Start checking after 30 minutes, and continue smoking as needed.
If using charcoal or a drum smoker, avoid using additional wood chunks as the scallops get enough flavor from the plank and charcoal.
We use Cowboy Charcoal Hickory Charcoal pellets in our Traeger smoker when testing this recipe.
People often wonder if you can crisp bacon in a smoker. Yes, you can. And we’ve mastered it on recipes like bacon-wrapped meatloaf or smoked pork loin, but for this recipe, it’s imperative to par-cook the bacon so that it does get crispy in the smoker as this is a quick-cooking recipe.

Overhead shot of cooked scallops on a wooden smoking plank.

Reheatin & Leftovers

Reheating leftovers for a later date is NOT recommended. This scallop recipe is enjoyed best fresh right off the grill.

Close up side shot of cooked scallops to show crispy bacon.

What to Serve With

The best way to pair this easy appetizer is with a full-on happy hour spread of charcuterie, stone crab claws, or butter-poached lobster tails. However, they also make an amazing first course, so you might also consider a surf-and-turf menu with one of the following recipes:

If you’d like to serve these as the main course, try pairing them with a creamy risotto, spinach salad, pasta, or polenta.

What’s The Difference Between Wet and Dry Scallops?

If you’ve never made or bought scallops, when shopping for them you may see ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ options Wet scallops are as they sound—wet and soak in a phosphate bath.

However, you’re going to want to buy dry scallops. Wet scallops would take longer to cook because of all the absorbed water. Dry scallops also sear better and will taste more natural compared to scallops that have been soaking in a phosphate bath.

For scallops, like all seafood, the fresher, the better. If buying frozen scallops, only thaw them when you’re ready to cook.

Wooden table with linens and a platter of scallop appetizers.

MORE SEAFOOD RECIPES

If you’re looking for the best seafood recipes, there are plenty more on the site. Here are a few others to consider if you want another amazing appetizer idea!

Beef Recipes

Comments

Randy Brunk says:

January 16, 2023 at 8:12 pm

This is an amazing recipe that’s takes Scallops to a new level. Applying the horseradish sauce to the bacon and then wrapping the Scallops just makes you want to keep eating.
This is definitely a keeper recipe.

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Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

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