Ideas for a good scallop salad always begin with the purchase of fresh scallops. While this may sound like a trivial detail, it is not. Fresh scallops are the base and most important ingredient for any type of scallop salad. To begin with, you will want to choose whether the salad will be served as a side dish or as the main course, as this will largely determine ideas for the ingredients that will be included and how the salad should be made. Ideas for this type of salad include those without any dressing, with a light oil and vinegar dressing, or with a mayonnaise-based dressing.
One idea is a spicy seared scallop salad. The scallops are seared in either olive oil or butter. The kick from the spices is added to the dressing, which has a mayonnaise base. This can be served over field greens or it can be placed in a lettuce leaf for a more dramatic presentation.
Grilled scallops are a nice addition to a salad that will be served warm. This salad is more commonly used as a main course rather than a side dish. Instead of presenting the scallop salad with some type of greens, the scallops are tossed with a combination of warm vegetables such as asparagus, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. Any other assemblage of favorite vegetables can be added to complete this dish. This salad is nicely complemented when served with a loaf of warm, crusty bread.
Another option is a cold scallop salad. It is important to remember that though the scallops will be served cold they must still be cooked. The scallops can be dredged in egg and then coated in sesame seeds before they are fried and then allowed to cool before serving. A ginger vinaigrette is a nice dressing for a salad like this, as it will bring an exotic flavoring. This type of salad is best served over baby greens.
A spinach and scallop salad is a nice twist on a traditional recipe. The scallops can be served hot or cold, which will be largely dependent upon what type of a dressing is used. A warm bacon dressing, for example, would go well with the scallops fresh from the grill. Eggs and mushrooms can prove a welcome addition to this salad which is sure to be please those who are seafood enthusiasts.
The ingredients for a scallop salad are largely dependent upon the likes of the person preparing it. Scallops lend themselves to nearly any combination of flavorings as they have very little flavor of their own. The best ideas for mixing up a scallop salad come from simply adding whatever salad ingredients are most preferred.