Asian Bay Scallops Stir Fry with Spring Veggies

Craving quick and healthy Chinese food? This Asian Bay Scallops Stir Fry is an easy 15-minute dinner idea you’ll want to make on repeat! It’s brimming with sweet and buttery smooth scallops, crisp asparagus, spring peas, carrots and tossed in a light Chinese garlic sauce.

We can’t wait to share with you our quick and easy recipe tips to achieve a Chinese restaurant style seafood dish using either fresh or frozen bay scallops. Little bay scallops, unlike the large sea scallops with garlic vermicelli, are so darn cute and only take a fraction of time to cook.

The secret to making a tender and succulent bay scallop recipe is a simple drying process and speedy cooking technique.  Are you ready to learn how to make the best stir-fried bay scallops and asparagus? Let’s Go!

Ingredients Needed

Bay Scallops (depending on where they were harvested are sometimes also called Atlantic Bay scallop or blue-eyed scallops) are small (about the size of a US dime) and only about ⅓ the size of a sea scallop. They come either fresh or frozen depending on where you live. These are raw and not the dried ones you get at the Chinese Medicine stores in Sheng Wan, Hong Kong or in XO sauced beef noodles.

Spring Veggies like asparagus, peas and carrots add a pop of freshness to this Asian bay scallop stir fry. Feel free to substitute with your favorite seasonal vegetables of choice.

Aromatics such as ginger and garlic are key to this light and flavorful Chinese stir fry. In a pinch, you can substitute with ground spices but fresh is best.

Light Flavorful Chinese Sauce is made with chicken bouillon mixed in water, sesame oil, oyster sauce and cornstarch to thicken. We used a teaspoon of Better than Chicken Bouillon in ⅓ cup water. You can also use a powdered bouillon or a crushed bouillon cube in either chicken or vegetable flavor. Just a tablespoon of oyster sauce will make this Asian recipe and our chicken and mushroom recipe extra flavorful. If you are celiac, there are gluten free options for both oyster sauce and chicken bouillon.

How to Choose the Best Bay Scallops?

If you have the option of purchasing fresh bay scallops that smell fresh like the sea and lightly sweet, are shiny, and firm to the touch - buy the fresh bay scallops. Otherwise, raw frozen bay scallops are a great option – that is exactly what we used. Sometimes, frozen are the better option because they are caught, and flash frozen straight away to maintain freshness.

Frozen scallops can be either wet packed or dry packed.  Wet packed scallops are treated with a preservative so that they stay fresher longer and this can cause problems as they hold onto water and when you try to cook them and then they shrink. Dry scallops do not have any additives, so they keep their natural moisture level and do not shrink when cooked.

Top Tip: Choose dry packed sea scallops over wet sea scallops for the best sear on the scallops.

How to Prepare Frozen Bay Scallops?

Recipe Tip: The most important rule is to get the bay scallops as dry as possible without drawing out any of their natural juices.

Unlike other stir-fried bay scallops’ recipes, ours does not include blanching them in hot water, brining with salt or dusting them in cornstarch. These are unnecessary steps that can draw the water out, but it makes them tough and rubbery in the process.

If you want succulent tender scallops, here’s how you do it - No special tools or talents needed!

• Remove frozen bay scallops from their original container and place in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight. Bay scallops do not need to be rinsed. Please do not soak them in water because they will get waterlogged. Instead, just let them thaw naturally all by themselves and they will do their magic.

• When you are ready to cook fresh caught or thawed bay scallops, drain any liquid in the bowl they were sitting in.

• Then, lay out a couple layers of paper towel or a tea towel out. In a single layer, spread the bay scallops out on the towel.

• Take another paper towel or tea towel and dab dry.

• Allow them to stay on the towel to dry while prepping the other part of your recipe ingredients.

How to Make a Seafood Vegetable Stir Fry?

• On a towel, pat dry the bay scallops. Leave them on the towel at room temperature for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
• Remove the tough stems from the asparagus, like we do with our grilled asparagus recipe. Then, chop into 1.5-inch segments.

• Slice the carrots and finely mince ginger and garlic.
• Make the simple Chinese sauce. Add the chicken bouillon powder or paste to water and stir along with sesame oil, oyster sauce and cornstarch.

• Steam the sliced carrots in the pan with a little water and place on the lid for 1 minute or until the water evaporates.
• Add in oil, aromatics, asparagus in with the steamed carrots and stir fry until vegetables are crisp tender. Remove the veggies from the pan.

• Stir fry the bay scallops for 1 minute on one side and flip over for about 30 seconds on the other.

• Quickly add the cooked veggies and Chinese sauce into the pan until the sauce thickens.
• Add the thawed cooked peas to the stir fry and give the Asian bay scallops stir fry a quick toss.

Recipe Tips

• Allowing the bay scallops to dry on a towel for 10 minutes is the first step for success. You can even do this whilst you are chopping your vegetables and making the sauce. This step ensures the bay scallops are at room temperature, so they cook evenly.
• Do NOT soak bay scallops in water or try to do a quick thaw using water.
• Do not marinate sea scallops in cooking wine or any liquids before cooking. It will cause steaming instead of searing in the pan. That is not the effect you are going for.
• Fresh or recently thawed raw scallops need to be cooked within 1 to 2 days of refrigeration.  Do not refreeze thawed bay scallops.
• Choose smaller and similar in diameter sized asparagus vs the thick and larger in diameter ones. This ensures that they cook fast and evenly.
• Carrots take longer to cook than the other veggies. Do a quick carrot steam in the wok or pan with a lid and a little water before adding the other veggies.
• Stir frying on medium-high heat is best.
• Do NOT over crowd the wok or pan so the ingredients can get a good sear.
• Getting everything prepped and ready (mise en place) is important because the actual stir-frying process is going to go fast – less than 5 minutes.
• For the Chinese stir fry sauce to thicken, the pan must be a medium high heat.  After you bring the sauce up to a boil, the sauce will start to thicken. Keep stirring because it takes only a few seconds.