Succulent Scallops in a Spicy Black Bean Sauce
Well, The Year of the Snake is finally upon us and Chinese New Year will officially be celebrated until Wednesday 13 February.
Last year we were fortunate enough to be in Hong Kong to celebrate Chinese New Year. One of my fondest memories was visiting the flower market at Victoria Park. It was a beautiful sight to behold; a sea of orange and green as kumquat trees were being sold in abundance. I even bought 3 orchid plants; blue, purple and pink to brighten up our home and they lasted all of 3 months under my supervision. What can I say ? I just don’t have magic plant hands.
Chinese New Year would not be the same in Hong Kong without the glorious firework display that takes place at Victoria Harbour. For a full 23 minutes; not a minute more, not a minute less (how’s that for precision?) the crowd is dazzled and fixated as the sky is given over to a series of speedy, powerful and artistic displays of light.
Sadly, we missed it this year but I took a few snaps to see how the preparations were coming on before the flight back to London. The malls had just started to decorate with different styles of lighting.
Oriental Lighting in the IFC Mall
Chinese New Year decorations at The Landmark, Hong Kong
A real-life money tree appeared on the scene.
Money Tree dripping with lai see (red envelopes filled with money)
But mostly, it was all about the pandas.
Panda Playtime at The IFC Mall, Hong Kong
Fun and games with the pandas
I think I have a favourite. Looks like this guy has the right idea.
Chilled out Panda
Moving swiftly on to food, here is another recipe that can be quickly plated up during the Chinese New Year festival. I served these sweet succulent beauties with a peppery watercress salad but to heighten the Asian experience you could serve it with some steamed pak choi or Chinese greens. Or indeed, as scallops have earned an aphrodisiac reputation why not serve this dish up to a loved one on Valentine’s Day? I’d say this is a much better option than the offer of an overpriced restaurant on Thursday…wouldn’t you?
A tasty spicy seafood dish knocked up in a matter of minutes. Can be served as a main course, or smaller portions for a starter.
Ingredients
- 200g of fresh scallops
- 1 clove of garlic, pressed
- 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger
- 3 tbsp of fermented black beans, with 50% bashed to contribute to the sauce and 50% remaining whole
- 2 spring onions, topped and tailed and cut into 5cm slices
- 1 bird's eye chilli, finely chopped (remove the seeds if you prefer it milder)
- 3 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp of Shaoxing rice wine
- 3 tbsp of stock (I used Chicken stock)
- 2 tbsp of peanut oil
Instructions
- Heat the peanut oil in a wok or heavy based frying pan
- Add the pressed garlic, ginger and chilli and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
- Add the fermented beans and scallops and stir-fry for just over 1 minute.
- Pour in the light soy sauce and Shaoxing rice wine and mix together.
- Add the stock, lower the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes.
- At the last moment add the chopped spring onions, stir and serve immediately
Notes
Scallops can be replaced with beef if a meat dish is preferred.
Scallops in a Spicy Black Bean
Further suggestions for Asian inspired recipes on How to be a Gourmand include:
Cantonese Style Sea Bream with Chilli and Ginger Broccoli Florets
Sizzling Beef with Ginger and Spring Onion
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I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
The pandas are fab, so funny. You are lucky to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. I adore scallops, seafood is my favourite food and scallops my favourite seafood, that does look very, very good.
Thanks Janice – they did bring a huge smile to my face! Love scallops although they are a wee bit pricey I love to indulge on a special occasion!
Wowza, that looks & sounds a-ma-zing. And crucially, simple. Love all of the tastes (I go through more fermented beans than is probably good for me). Bookmarking!
Thanks Kellie – as well as the wonderful taste – the time to make this dish is an added bonus!
Absolutely gorgeous. (Adored the pandas too!)
Thanks Rachel! They were a big hit with onlookers too. Families were queuing up to have their photo taken with them.
Oh those pandas are adorable. It must be such an experience to be there for such a big celebration. The scallops look lovely and I love the fact that it is such a quick meal to prepare.
Thanks Angela – the scallops were truly delicious!
Oh this suits me just perfectly. I could just dream about enjoying scallops and that black bean sauce as a seafood addict. If only I could eat this dish at least twice a week, crab another day, then sea bass & prawns I would be as happy as could be!
If only! That would be a hefty weekly shopping bill
Love fish and seafood. I very rarely eat crab – I do love the flavour but I find it very fiddly to prepare/eat. Thanks for your comment Laura.
This is gorgeous. I love scallops so would happily eat this, and I do love the pictures from the build up to New Year! (especially the pandas, what a job for those guys!)
Thanks Nazima – they certainly brightened up the place!
What a dream to be in Hong Kong for the New Year celebration! Anyway here I am in Barnet, London, it’s early Monday morning and I am dreaming of exotic places and food… The scallops are very inspiring I hope I can find fermented black beans (I have never tried this ingredient!). I wrote you an email regarding the pasta. PS the panda pictures are very funny…
I’m currently in London at the moment and woke up to a blanket of snow this morning – brrrrr!
Just missed CNY in HK this year but will be back soon. You should be able to find fermented black beans at any Asian supermarket (normally dried in vacuum pack bags) and in some bigger British supermarkets.
I love Panda Playtime. You are so lucky to have spent time in Hong Kong for the celebrations. The malls look amazing. The ingredients list is bursting with flavour sensations and your plate of food looks amazing.
Thanks Maggie – I thoroughly enjoyed eating it!
DELICIOUS scallops – I love them and think your black bean sauce is perfect with them! And like so many others have commented, I adore the pandas – what a wonderful way to make a shopping trip more exciting! So cute.
Thanks Katharine – they did provide much entertainment for the passing crowds.
Great pictures! What a lovely idea with the sweet scallops and salty black bean sauce.
Thanks Caroline
So colourful, and those pandas are brilliant!
Although I am not really a fan of scallops, my husband slways orders them, and he would love this.
Thanks Nic! The pandas are my new best buddies
Your scallops are making me drool! I would love a plateful of these.
Thanks Mich – they were a treat:-)
Aren’t these pandas cute!!! So adorable
lovely photos and I like the idea of scallops in Black bean sauce – actually I love black bean sauce with anything. And the best bit – everything ready in 15 minutes!
Ha! Ha! I like your thinking Sneige! The time to make this dish is an added bonus!
Look at those pandas! And look at those scallops! I could take a big plate of those just about now! Thank you for sharing with me. I hope you had a fabulous week, and I hope your weekend brims with good food, laughter, and love.
Thanks Monet – I guess you’ll have to wait until the baby is born before you have a plate! I guess it won’t be long now!
cool lanterns and I bet the fireworks are awesome bet you have learnt some great French recipes from your hubbys family. This dish looks so good
Thanks Rebecca! The Chinese have fireworks down to a fine art
My hubs is also a dab hand in the kitchen. He recently made me a Pot au Feu which was really delicious but the kitchen ends up being “a war zone” – (his words, not mine) with the mess he creates.
The pandas are so cute! And, I love black bean sauce. It sounds delicious with the scallops.
Thanks Lisa – they tasted pretty good. Got to love the pandas
Absolutely FABULOUS post and I NEED one of those pandas! Plus your photos and recipe are lovely too…….I DO miss Hong Kong, although it is very different to when I lived there!
Ah Karen – I’m sure one day you will return if only for a quick visit. Glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for the lovely comment x