Upgrade your seafood game with these Air Fryer Bacon Scallops with Garlic Butter! The salty bacon perfectly compliments the sweet delicate scallops and the garlic butter adds an extra layer of delicious flavour. They cook super quickly and make an ideal canape, appetizer or side.
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There are very few things in life that aren’t improved by wrapping them in bacon. I know this because I actively hate glace cherries and yet my bacon cherry bites are the most moreish snack known to man. And then of course we have pigs in blankets in all their glorious forms. But I’m aware that I’m breaking no new ground wrapping scallops in bacon – this is a classic flavour combination for a reason.
And then we know that garlic butter is an elixir. Whether baked into a tear and share bread, slathered on roasted mushrooms or even just used instead of regular butter on a grilled cheese sandwich. But add it to something wrapped in bacon and hello baby – taste explosion!
I’ve designed this recipe so the garlic butter is fully enrobing the scallops and isn’t simply dripping into the bottom of the basket. If you are looking for a more simple how to air fry scallops recipe – you should head over to my original air fried scallops post.
The Air Fried Fish & Shellfish Collection
Find all of my best fish and shellfish recipes in one easy place.
Featuring everything from king prawns and scallops to haddock fillets, sea bass and sea bream as well as whole plaice, cod loins, mackerel fillets and of course I couldn’t miss out salmon fillets!
How to Serve
These scallops are ideal as a canape. They can be put together in advance and left to sit in the fridge. Then simply air fry them and serve asap. You can leave in the cooking cocktail sticks or replace them with fresh ones if it’s a fancy affair.
If you’re wanting to make the scallops into more of an appetizer, I would suggest serving them simply on a bed of green salad with some crusty bread. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or glaze to balance the dish.
To make the scallops the star of a main meal, I like to serve them as I have here with a tomato and onion salad, boiled or air fried baby potatoes and a simply cooked green vegetable like broccoli or asparagus.
Or, if you’re feeling like really making a decadent meal, make these scallops the surf in a surf and turf meal. Griddle thick steaks, add some fried sliced mushrooms, a grilled tomato and chips. Make a simple side salad and then top the steak with the scallops and drizzle with the garlic butter.
Ingredients
Scallops
Scallops are a mollusc and the way that the different types are named varies around the world. Here in the UK we keep it fairly simple by referring to the large ones as king scallops. The smaller ones are called queen scallops.
In the US large scallops are called sea scallops and smaller ones are called bay scallops. Diver scallops is another term commonly used and although it does refer to the method they’re caught, they are usually on the larger side. You also want to look for “dry packed” rather than “wet packed” scallops in the US as they don’t contain added water and preservatives like the wet type.
You can buy scallops ready prepared fresh or frozen. These usually come with the orange coral removed and without the shell. If buying from a fishmonger or more high end outlet, you may find they come on the shell and/or have the coral still attached.
I’m not a fan of cooking the scallops in the shell. For starters its difficult to fit many in an air fryer at one time. Secondly and most importantly, I find that the juices released from the scallops pool in the shell and the scallop boils in the liquid rather than getting crisp and coloured.
To combat this but not waste the shells, I do sometimes air fry the scallops per this recipe but clean the shells really well and use them as a serving dish.
If you want to cook the orange coral, leave it attached to the scallop and follow the recipe instructions below, they will still be perfectly cooked but a little harder to wrap.
Bacon
Although I mostly prefer to use unsmoked bacon, smoked bacon is the way to go for this recipe. That smoky flavour is part of what balances the sweetness of the scallops. And it needs to be a stronger flavour to stand up to the strength of the garlic butter .
You do need to use streaky bacon here rather than British back bacon. Streaky bacon has the right ratio of fat to meat and is the best shape to roll around the scallops nice and neatly.
Although you can buy both thick and thin rashes of streaky bacon, I would aim for thinner rashes for this recipe. You need to bear in mind that the bacon is wrapped around the scallops multiple times. Too many layers of very thick bacon and they won’t cook through properly.
Garlic Butter
You can choose to use a ready-made or previously homemade garlic butter for this recipe. Pre-flavored butters are becoming more readily available to buy here in the UK. But I’ve included instructions for making the garlic butter from scratch within this recipe.
It is best to use a proper block butter rather than a spreadable option or margarine. Anything other than block butter contains added moisture which can hinder the frying process of the scallops and bacon.
I’ve used garlic paste in my recipe. You can either make this by smashing fresh garlic cloves with the side of your knife with a little sea salt. Or you can get it in a jar. I’m no snob and always have a jar of garlic ready to go. There’s no waste and it’s very convenient. But do please look for the paste rather than the lazy garlic which is fine cut rather than minced. It had a very different flavour.
I’ve also used dried parsley. This is mostly to add colour as the flavour is quite mild. If you prefer a more pronounced flavour, I suggest trying dried oregano instead as this packs more of a punch.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, gluten and nuts.
Dairy Free: To make this recipe dairy free, you’ll need to use a dairy-free butter alternative. Other than that you should be good to go.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Bacon Wrapped Scallops
These garlic butter coated scallops only take around 12 minutes to cook to golden perfection.
This is based on scallops that are around 25g/1oz each in weight and thin cut streaky bacon. If you use thicker bacon or bigger scallops you may need to add a couple of minutes to the cooking time. Equally if you use smaller scallops, you may need to reduce the cooking time.
I don’t find that you need to turn the scallops as they cook. But if you feel like your air fryer doesn’t have good enough circulation, feel free to flip them for the last few minutes of cooking.
How to Air Fry Bacon Scallops From Frozen
You can air fry scallops from frozen. I’ve gone into detail on how best to do this in my plain air fried scallops recipe. One of the important steps is to be able to remove any moisture and ice crystals from the scallops before cooking.
You absolutely can prepare these scallops including the garlic butter and bacon wrapping then freeze them. But – I’m not a fan of doing this because I find that they can become quite watery as they defrost. Even when cooked directly from frozen.
If this method is feasibly your only option, you’ll likely need to add a couple more minutes to the cooking time. But please don’t be surprised if you don’t achieve the same level of crispy bacon or golden top to the scallops.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Leftover bacon wrapped scallops can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days in an airtight container. They can be reheated back in the air fryer or microwaved very briefly if you don’t mind the bacon not being quite so crisp.
Whilst this method will of course work, the scallops will not be out their best when reheated. So if you can try to avoid excessive leftovers, that is for the best.
Another, perhaps better way of dealing with leftovers, is to actually deconstruct them. Remove the bacon, cut it into smaller pieces and fry until hot and crispy again. The scallops can then be cut in half horizontally or into smaller pieces and then also fried. With all the garlic butter on them you won’t need to add any extra oil. This is great stirred into a simple risotto or pasta dish.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
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What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Bacon Scallops with Garlic Butter Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan – Small or heatproof bowl
Ingredients
- 9 Scallops - roughly 25g each
- 9 rashers Smoked Streaky Bacon
- 50 g Salted Butter - see notes
- 1 tsp Garlic Paste
- ½ tsp Dried Parsley
Instructions
- Thoroughly dry 9 Scallops. Trim any bits of connective tissue if needed.
- Also get 9 Rashers Streaky Bacon ready near your workstation.
- Add 50g Salted Butter along with 1 tsp Garlic Paste and ½ tsp Parsley to a small pan or microwaveable bowl.
- Heat over a low heat on the stove or microwave in short increments until the butter has melted and the garlic and parsley are fully incorporated. Note – you could use a small heatproof bowl in the air fryer if you like. The preheat setting will likely do the trick.
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, Start this setting now.
- Put the scallops into a small bowl and spoon over around half of the melted garlic butter mixture.
- Gently turn the scallops in the butter to fully coat them. The butter will start to solidify a little as it hits the cold scallops and starts to cool – this is a good thing.
- Lay a rasher of bacon out on a board and place a scallop at one end. Roll the scallop in the bacon until fully wrapped. Note – You can work in batches to speed the process up – 3 at a time worked perfectly on my board.
- Secure the end of the bacon with a cocktail stick pushed right the way through the scallop and out the other side. Be careful not to poke your fingers and try to keep the cocktail stick halfway up the scallop for maximum hold.
- Spoon the remaining garlic butter onto the visible tops of the scallops. The butter will have hardened more by this time which will make it easier. Make sure to scrape out and use any butter left in the garlic coating bowl too.
- Place the scallops into the air fryer. Leave a little space between them so the air can circulate. Be careful not to catch your hands on the side of the hot basket.
- Cook for 12 minutes at 200c/390f. You shouldn't need to turn the scallops during cooking as you may lose some of the garlic butter on top. Note – If you bacon is substantially thicker or scallops bigger than mine you may want to add a couple of minutes to the cooking time. The opposite is true for very thin bacon or much smaller scallops. It is better to check early and then continue cooking than leaving it too long.
- Be careful removing the scallops from the fryer as they will be delicate.
- Remove the cocktail sticks and serve hot straight away.
To Air Fry From Frozen
- You can prepare the scallops right up to the point that they should go in the air fryer then freeze them.
- Air fry from frozen for 13 minutes at 200c/390f.
Notes
- This recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I can easily fit 9 scallops in the basket at one time. This gives plenty of room to allow air to circulate.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Ashley says
Scallops are my absolute favourite seafood. They were perfect with the bacon and so easy to cook in the air fryer. Love this recipe, thanks.
Jen says
I cooked these scallops and served them with a side salad for a light dinner, they were delicious and really easy to cook.