This dish is called hotate no isobeyaki in Japanese. Breaking it down, hotate is the word for scallops, yaki means ‘cooked’, and isobe refers to the seaweed wrapping. Actually, isobe means ‘rocky shore’, a place where seaweed abounds. That’s why isobeyaki has come to refer to nori seaweed-wrapped food. The most common isobeyaki filling is mochi (chewy rice cake). You can check out our isobe mochi recipe here!
This Japanese recipe uses scallops instead of rice cake for a quick and easy tapas (otsumami) that is beloved by children and adults alike! Make it as a party hors-d’oeuvre or a quick and yummy weeknight side dish.
Nori-Wrapped Scallops
Ingredients
- 4 scallops about 100 grams
- 4 pieces nori seaweed (approximately 3cm×5cm)
- vegetable oil
- shichimi tougarashi or chili pepper flakes
- 30 mL soy sauce
- ⅔ tbsp sake
Instructions
- 「PREP」Put the scallops in a small bowl and marinate in the soy sauce and sake for about 5 minutes.
- Heat a frying pan to medium and add vegetable oil. Add the scallops and fry both sides. If using fresh scallops, searing them for just a couple of minutes per side will be enough. If they are less fresh or were bought frozen, make sure they are cooked through.
- When the scallops are browned, turn off the heat and sprinkle with a little shichimi tougarashi or chili pepper flakes to taste.
- Serve the scallops and nori rectangles on separate plates and assemble right before eating: place a scallop on one end of a nori rectangle and fold the other end over it to make a sandwich. Pop into your mouth and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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