Sea Scallops & Parmesan White Beans Campfire Cooking

I love scallops. These bite-sized crustaceans are a fun alternative to more common seafood options like shrimp or salmon. Of course, getting them right, rather than chewy balls of rubber, takes an attentive eye. All the same, this super simple recipe makes sea scallops an easy undertaking and can stand alone as a meal or be easily paired with a fresh vegetable. So, dig in to my sea scallops & parmesan white beans campfire cooking dinner recipe.

Directions

One thing I love about this recipe is how many items in it are shelf stable. I have canned beans, onion, olive oil, salt, and pepper in my chuck wagon at all times to be used whenever the mood strikes me. All I need are some scallops. I tend to buy a small bag of frozen scallops. This way, they last longer in my cooler and contribute to the chill of other perishable foods. Being rather small, though, they thaw out relatively quickly.

White Beans

I originally started experimenting with this recipe as a side for salmon. While the two go well together, I was even happier when I combined the white beans with scallops. If you want to add a bit of color to the dish, also consider sprinkling in some fresh parsley.

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in skillet at medium heat
2. Mix white beans and onions in skillet
3. Fry until onions are soft and white beans begin to break apart.
4. Mix in Parmesan
5. Remove from heat and split between two plates

Scallops

Scallops are very delicate. Be very careful not to overcook them. It will only take a few minutes. Once you have placed them in the skillet, don’t move them until you are ready to flip them. This way, they have a chance to brown nicely on each side.

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in skillet at high heat
2. Lightly salt and pepper sea scallops
3. When the olive oil begins to smoke, place sea scallops in pan
4. After two minutes or once scallops have a light brown sea, flip scallops over
5. After another 2 minutes, remove scallops from heat and place on bed of white beans
6. Serve immediately

(Optional) White Wine Sauce

Generally, I do not prepare this scallop dish with a sauce. But occasionally I’ll have a lot of browned scraps at the bottom of the plan from the scallops and figure: it’s a shame to waste these. And so I’ll whip up a sauce to drizzle over everything.

1. Cool skillet to medium heat
2. Add in butter, garlic, and white wine
3. Free any browned remnants from the skillet
4. Reduce white wine and butter until most of the liquid has evaporated
5. Mix in herbs and lemon juice
6. Drizzle over scallops and white beans

Pairings

This dish can stand on its own but I like to add a fresh vegetable to bring some color to your plate. I absolutely recommend pairing these sea scallops with asparagus.  It brings the whole dish together and brightens up the meal.