Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Let’s cook air fryer bacon wrapped scallops. My favourite air fryer appetizer is perfect all year around, tastes amazing and is incredibly easy to prep and air fry.

If you love bacon and you love scallops then you will love this bacon wrapped scallops air fryer recipe.

Did You Know? This scallops recipe is so so popular with our air fryer readers that it features in our popular air fryer cookbook The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook. Perfect for beginners with 140+ everyday recipes and how to knowledge. You can get a copy here and read the amazing reviews.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops In Air Fryer

I remember the first time I had scallops. It was late 1997, I was 15 and my parents were on a six week holiday in their RV travelling around France and Spain.

I was staying with my grandparents and also spending some quality time with aunts and uncles.

I was also feeling really stressed because it was our mock GCSE’s at school and that usual teenage exam pressure was on me.

One night I was at my aunts for dinner and both my aunt and uncle were cooking. I didn’t get too close as it was a small kitchen and you couldn’t fit a third person in there.

But I was spying on what my uncle was cooking and he soon gave me one. And OMG it was delicious. And I spent years thinking about them and wanting them again and again.

Years later I asked my aunt what that delicious thing was with the garlic butter that had been pan fried.

She told me that it was pan fried queenies. Queenies being the smaller version of a regular scallop and oh so good.

My uncle was a fisherman at the time, and I am sure it was part of the catch of the day.

Today, I wanted to share with you how to cook queenies aka baby scallops wrapped in bacon in the air fryer.

Though of course, I don’t have my uncle’s wonderful catch and will be using ones bought frozen from the local supermarket and then wrapping them in bacon and air frying.

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Can You Cook Bacon Wrapped Scallops In An Air Fryer?

Yes, you can air fry scallops and bacon and they are delicious. Many people have a fear of cooking scallops. They are worried that when they pan fry scallops, they will over cook them or under cook them. And its probably shows like Masterchef when people have done exactly that, is what puts many off.

But load bacon wrapped scallops into the air fryer basket instead with an exact time and temp and it removes the fear, you don’t have to check on them all the time and it makes an easy way to cook scallops.

Best Way To Cook Bacon Wrapped Scallops?

The best bacon wrapped scallops are those cooked in the air fryer. Not just because it’s easier (like I mentioned above) but for a few other reasons too.

Firstly, the bacon is super crispy around the scallops with a texture you would never get if pan fried.

Secondly, the bacon fat is going into the bottom of the air fryer, making your scallops less fatty.

Third and favourite reason for cooking bacon wrapped scallops in the air fryer is how you have the perfect time and temp formula and don’t have to worry about it going wrong.

Are Scallops Good In The Air Fryer?

Yes, they sure are. I first cooked scallops in the air fryer a few years ago. After seeing some frozen scallops on a special deal around Christmas time and then trying them in the air fryer.

I couldn’t believe how good these scallops were and after that, I have only ever cooked scallops in the air fryer.

How Do You Know When Scallops Are Done?

You know scallops are done because of the firmness. Scallops are very soft when they are raw and from touch you will be able to tell the difference.

Also, when you slice into scallops they are almost see through.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops Air Fryer Ingredients

Scallops – I bought some frozen scallops from Tesco’s. They were from the frozen section, and I could get them out of the freezer when I needed them. I also made sure I thawed them before air frying. Because I didn’t want extra moisture if adding bacon to them.

Bacon – We used back bacon because it is less fatty, and it wraps well around the scallops. But you can mix and match with what you have in.

Optional – I also recommend seasoning the scallops before wrapping in bacon. As you don’t want your beautiful scallops to taste flavourless once cooked.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this bacon wrapped scallops air fryer recipe it has just been our Philips air fryer. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of air fryer recipes.

Plus, we recommend you head over to our air fryer recipes category as we have more than 500 tried and tested air fryer recipes and have been air frying for 10 years.

How To Cook Bacon Wrapped Scallops?

• Prep. Thaw your scallops if they were frozen and then pat dry with kitchen towel to get rid of any extra moisture.
• Season. Then season your scallops with salt and pepper.
• Wrap. Chop your back bacon into two long strips and then wrap a piece of bacon around each scallop. Then use a cocktail stick to hold it into place.
• Load. As you prep your scallops wrapped in bacon, load into the air fryer basket. Once they are all loaded up, then air fry for 8 minutes at 180c/360f. Check for firmness before serving.

And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to cook air fried bacon wrapped scallops and why you should be doing it too!

How Long To Cook Bacon Wrapped Scallops In Air Fryer?

Your bacon wrapped scallops in the air fryer take JUST 8 minutes. Isn’t that fantastic for a quick air fryer appetizer?

Though the main reason for this is that we are using queenies (baby scallops) and they are fast cooking due to their size and shape.

More Air Fryer Seafood Recipes

• Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas
• Air Fryer Cajun Shrimp
• Air Fryer Tuna Steak
• Air Fryer Frozen Salmon Patties
• Air Fryer Frozen Salmon

Your air fryer scallops with bacon recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.

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