The most perfect light and fresh summer dinner of Grilled Scallops with Avocado Corn Salad! If you love my lemon garlic scallop pasta, then this variation where we swap out the pasta for corn will be sure to please.
I say this every time I eat / make scallops - but WHY don't we make them more often? They are so easy to make, incredibly flavorful, lend themselves to any number of seasonings and are packed with protein. I literally ask myself this question every time I eat one of those delicious morsels off the grill or skillet. Well today, it's happening. This dinner of Grilled Scallops with Avocado Corn Salad is perfection.
The scallops are cleaned, blotted dry and then cooked on either an oiled grill or grill pan until grill marks appear. And then served over a citrusy corn salad with a little avocado, a few spices for some kick and herbs. It's ready in less than 10 minutes and it's very easy to scale it up if you're feeding a larger group.
How to make perfect scallops?
There are a few rules to remember when you're making scallops. 1: you want to purchase them with the side muscle is still intact and remove it from each scallop. 2: You don't want to overcook scallops, that means high heat for 2-3 minutes per side TOPS! and 3: don't futz with scallop and flip multiple times. You want them to have a nice crust on each side so let them cook, get that sear, and then flip. For the full run down on how to properly shop / prep and cook scallops, check out my Scallop 101 guide.
What to serve with scallops?
This menu is incredibly flavorful and slightly southwestern leaning so if it was my dinner party, I would keep it simple. Serve it with a Butter Lettuce and Avocado Salad and a simple summery dessert like a Blueberry Cobbler! The thing about dinner party menus is people tend to get carried away with SO many dishes. That leaves you feeling overwhelmed... keep it simple so you can relax too!
Grilled Scallops with Avocado Corn Salad
Ingredients
For the Avocado Corn Salad
- 4 ears corn, husked
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons snipped chives
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the Scallops
- 12 large sea scallops, cleaned
- olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Brush corn with 1 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle with chili powder. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred in spots, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool, then cut kernels from cobs. Combine all the remaining ingredients in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat grill. Brush scallops with oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the scallops for 2 minutes on each side until grill marks appear.
- Arrange the corn salad on a large serving platter and nestle the cook scallops on top. Garnish with extra cilantro and/or chives.
This was delicious and so easy to prepare, five star all the way
The perfect summer meal!! Delicious!