Grilled Scallops with Garlic Butter is a wonderful thing.

There’s no mucking about with this one – scallops in their shell, a dollop of garlic butter, straight on to the BBQ. I love barbecued scallops – simple, classic, utterly mouthwatering… Just be sure to have plenty of bread to soak up every last drop of that sauce (oh, and a decent bottle of white!)

I forgot how good grilled scallops are on the BBQ – I mean take a look at that small video and tell me you are not salivating!

I haven’t really got much to say – the video pretty much sums it up. But just in case it helps, I’ve noted down how I cooked the BBQ scallops.

When it comes to grilled scallops cooked on the BBQ the biggest question is how many per person. The answer – as many as you can get (and afford)!

This really depends on the size of the scallops, I would normally recommend for a small plate just to get the tastebuds going three is a good amount, plus some decent bread, glass of white and that’s a nice size lunch.

Feeling greedy? Then just buy a load of them and go for it!

If ever I see a wonderful piece of fish or shellfish covered in a sauce a little piece of my heart breaks… celebrate the fish. Think – compliment – not camouflage when it comes to flavour. 

There really is something about a simple garlic butter and barbecued shellfish. Whether you are cooking prawns on the barbecue, cooking grilled scallops in the shell like these ones or have even thrown on a couple of lobster tails (ensure you don’t have to share them!) the best dressing has to be a classic garlic butter finished with a gentle squeeze of lemon juice. That’s it!

Grilled Scallops on the BBQ with Garlic Butter Recipe:

50g butter (room temp)

1 clove garlic crushed (not chopped but crushed!)

10g finely chopped parsley

1 tbl extra virgin olive oil

Pinch salt

Pinch of dried chilli flakes if you like it hot (optional)

Scallops in the shell – pre-shucked (so the scallops are no longer attached to the shell)

Grilled Scallops Method:

1. Add everything to the butter (except the scallops!) and mix well till fully combined.
2. Add a teaspoon of the garlic butter to each scallop.
3. Place the scallops shell on top of the grill.
4. Let the scallops sizzle for a minute before carefully turning the scallop over in its shell, use tongs to hold the shell and a fork to turn the scallops – you don’t want to lose any of the juice.
5. After another minute or so, carefully remove the entire shell using a pair of tongs trying not to spill the butter sauce.

Done! Serve on a platter or individual plates with some bread to mop up the juices and a crisp dry white wine.