Swap Out Bacon And Wrap Your Scallops In Prosciutto Instead

Scallops are certainly one of the treasures of the sea with a delicate, buttery texture and flavor when cooked properly. There are a plethora of scallop recipes for seafood lovers but a popular, and effortless, way to serve the shellfish is to wrap them in bacon. You've probably had bacon-wrapped scallops as hors d'oeuvres at a party — but there's a simple ingredient swap to switch up the appetizer for your next gathering.

Bacon offers crunchiness and meaty umami that pairs well with the scallops, but there's a case for swapping it with prosciutto. For starters, prosciutto is cured for longer than bacon so the flavor can be more decadent. Another perk is that prosciutto is ready to eat and therefore doesn't have to be cooked in the same way as bacon, saving you some time in the kitchen. Unlike the crunchy bacon, this ingredient is softer but will still offer a contrast with the buttery and tender scallops. Although, you could briefly cook the prosciutto in an oven or skillet to crisp it up — just don't overdo it or it might be difficult to wrap the scallops.

Bacon-wrapped scallops are the most common way to join the two ingredients together, and prosciutto works with this technique. Start with Tasting Table's bacon-wrapped scallops recipe that makes four servings. Here's where you need to adjust the recipe to accommodate the ingredient swap: Where you would normally cook the bacon, fold or cut the prosciutto in half to make the slices match the size of each scallop. Then cook according to the recipe, which should only take 15 minutes tops.

Another option is to make our bacon-baked scallops recipe that turns the two ingredients into more of an entree than a starter. For this route, skip the steps involving the bacon, and follow the rest accordingly. You'll then want to cut the prosciutto slices into bite-sized pieces per our recipe and sprinkle them on top of the scallops. This recipe requires 15 minutes in the oven, which is about the same amount of time it takes to crisp prosciutto. And if you don't want to crisp the prosciutto, top the baked scallops with the pieces after they come out of the oven. You can even add fresh arugula or herbs like parsley as a final garnish to complement the two main stars of the dish. No matter which technique you choose, we think you might ditch bacon for prosciutto far more often.