Recipes & Food Styling

Pan-Fried New England Scallop Sandwich with Tangy Carrot Slaw

When you can’t travel but you’re craving a taste of summer in New England, this Pan-Fried Scallop Sandwich is the perfect fix.

I heard about scallops for the first time in the 1980s. I was in high school, and I was babysitting my cousin. When his mom & dad came home from dinner at Michael’s Supper Club in Wausau, Wisconsin, his mom told me she ate scallops. “I like scallops,” she said. 

Years later I tried scallops for the first time, and I ended up writing about some of the best scallops in the world, like the Emulsion de Scallops con Salmon Marinado at Tanta in Chicago, which Top Chef Carlos Gaytan told me was the “best meal he ate out” in Chicago in 2016.

For my scallops, I love a little shake of paprika, and my latest favorite arrived the other day with its own customs paperwork; it is hot paprika ordered directly from Hungary, and it is fantastic sprinkled on the scallops in this sandwich.    

Pan-Fried New England Scallop Sandwich with Tangy Carrot Slaw

Makes 2 sandwiches 

Carrot Slaw

Make carrot slaw one day before so flavors have time to marinate. 

Mix together 1/4 cup honey or Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold 4 cups shredded or coarsely chopped carrots into mixture. Chill in fridge, preferably overnight.  

Scallops

Soak 12 fresh scallops in juice of two fresh lemons and salt and pepper for atleast one hour. Keep in fridge.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in frying pan on stovetop.  Coat 12 large fresh scallops in egg, followed by seasoned bread crumbs. Try using your favorite salad croutons, crushed.

Place coated scallops in hot oil on stovetop. Let sizzle until browned on bottom (approximately 4 minutes); use tongs to flip. Sprinkle hot Hungarian paprika on top of scallops, and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. 

Place 6 scallops on each toasted, buttered roll. Place carrot slaw on top.