This recipe for scallops with hibiscus sauce comes from West Africa and is featured in the new cookbook, “The Contemporary African Kitchen.”
Of all the recipes in the newly released cookbook, The Contemporary African Kitchen, the scallops with hibiscus sauce would be one of co-author Nina Oduro’s top choices to enjoy on her birthday.
“As a seafood lover, the delicate scallops, infused with the floral aroma of hibiscus, are irresistible,” Oduro told Food Fanatic. (Be sure to check out more from our Q&A with the cookbook author!)
The cookbook contains recipes from 22 of “Africa’s most innovative and influential” chefs from all across the continent, including this scallop dish with West African roots from Agness Colley.
“My family is very fond of scallops,” Colley writes in the cookbook. “While they can be found in markets along ports in Togo or Senegal, they are not used widely in West African cuisine. I cooked scallops for the first time in 2017 and this recipe was born in 2018. The hibiscus, which is a familiar ingredient across West Africa, helps with the acidity of the wine. Bringing the hibiscus and wine together in this dish is perfect for the scallops.”
Related: Explore more of the African recipes on our website.
According to the cookbook, this recipe takes about 45 minutes to make (most of that as prep time) and yields four servings.
Despite Food Fanatic being around for over a decade, this is actually our first recipe with scallops. That might be because they’re easy to overcook, and a lot of people say they don’t like them because all they’ve ever tried are rubbery, tough versions that stayed in the pan for too long. But don’t be intimidated! Follow these tips to cook scallops perfectly, in addition to the directions in this recipe.
It’s worth mentioning that this recipe calls for sea scallops — they’re the bigger, juicier ones found deep in the Atlantic rather than in shallower waters along the coast of the eastern United States (which is where bay scallops come from). Both are tasty, but I’m partial to sea scallops, which is also typically what you’d get at a fancier restaurant.
Scallops with Hibiscus Sauce Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- 1 tablespoon dried hibiscus flowers
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 green plantain, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons (¼ oz/10 g) butter
- 1 clove garlic, lightly crushed but whole
- 2 slices back bacon, cut into 16 pieces about 1½ inches (4 cm) long
- 12 sea scallops
- ½ glass (4 fl oz/120 ml) wine
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 branches microgreens, to garnish
Directions
Follow these steps to make the scallops with hibiscus sauce:
- Bring 2 cups (16 fl oz/475 ml) of water to a boil, then add the hibiscus flowers. Turn off the heat, then cover and let infuse for 15 minutes. Pass the infusion through a strainer and keep the juice.
- Heat the oil in a small stock pot on medium heat to 340°F/170°C. Add the plantain slices and fry for 3–5 minutes until browned. Then remove the plantain with a slotted spoon, drain excess oil on paper towels, and season with salt.
- In a medium pan on medium heat, add the butter, garlic, bacon, and the scallops. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the bacon and scallops (but leave the garlic clove) and set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the wine and hibiscus infusion into the pan to deglaze. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the hibiscus reduction onto a plate. Then place the scallops and bacon on top. Roll up the plantain slices and place around the plate. Season with salt, garnish with a few microgreens, and serve.
This recipe is excerpted from The Contemporary African Kitchen © 2024 by Alexander Smalls, with Nina Oduro. Photography © 2024 by Beatriz da Costa. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.
You may also like: our other seafood recipes.
Sea Scallops with Hibiscus Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried hibiscus flowers
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 green plantain peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 clove garlic lightly crushed but whole
- 2 slices back bacon cut into 16 pieces about 1½ inches (4 cm) long
- 12 sea scallops
- 4 fl oz white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 branches microgreens to garnish
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups (16 fl oz/475 ml) of water to a boil, then add the hibiscus flowers. Turn off the heat, then cover and let infuse for 15 minutes. Pass the infusion through a strainer and keep the juice.
- Heat the oil in a small stock pot on medium heat to 340°F/170°C. Add the plantain slices and fry for 3–5 minutes until browned. Then remove the plantain with a slotted spoon, drain excess oil on paper towels, and season with salt.
- In a medium pan on medium heat, add the butter, garlic, bacon, and the scallops. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the bacon and scallops (but leave the garlic clove) and set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the wine and hibiscus infusion into the pan to deglaze. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the hibiscus reduction onto a plate. Then place the scallops and bacon on top. Roll up the plantain slices and place around the plate. Season with salt, garnish with a few microgreens, and serve.