Michael Symon's Marinated Grilled Scallops 🔥 Symon's Dinners Cooking Out | Food Network

Grilling scallops can be an unforgiving task on the line. The window between a perfect, sweet-centred bivalve and a rubbery, dry puck is razor-thin. In this lesson, Michael Symon demonstrates how to manage high-heat grilling using a quick acid marinade and an aromatic basting brush to keep U-10 sea scallops succulent while achieving a deeply charred exterior.

Precision Marinating to Prevent Curing

The marinade relies on a bright, classic combination of lemon zestZestThe coloured outer layer of citrus fruit containing aromatic oils. and juice, minced garlic, finely chopped fresh oregano, and olive oil. Because lemon juice is highly acidic, timing is everything. Leaving the scallops in this mixture for too long will chemically cook the delicate flesh, leading to a chalky texture before they even hit the grillGrillTo cook using direct radiant heat.. Symon advises a strict window of 10 to 30 minutes. This provides enough time for the garlic and herb-infused fat to coat the seafood and for the acid to penetrate the surface without compromising the scallop's delicate protein structure.

Direct Heat and the Herb Brush Technique

To get a proper crust without overcooking the core, you must set up the grillGrillTo cook using direct radiant heat. for intense, direct high heat. This means building your coals evenly across the bottom of the grill. Ensure the grates are clean and well-oiled. Before grilling, let the excess marinade drip off the scallops to prevent flare-ups and steaming, which ruins the searSearTo expose food to high heat to develop a browned exterior..

The scallops are placed directly over the hot coals to char for three to four minutes on the first side. Flipping them early will ruin the searSearTo expose food to high heat to develop a browned exterior., so patience is key. Once flipped, Symon introduces a smart, rustic kitchen technique: using a small bunch of fresh oregano tied with butcher's twine as a basting brush.

This herb brush serves two purposes. First, it applies the reserved marinade gently to the seared side, preventing the scallops from drying out during their final moments on the fire. Second, the heat of the grillGrillTo cook using direct radiant heat. releases the essential oils within the fresh oregano leaves, brushing extra herbaceous depth directly onto the hot surface. The second side requires only one to two minutes of cooking to reach a translucent, tender finish.