Scallop Chop Suey Recipe

For this Scallop Chop Suey, I use medium sea scallops instead of pork or chicken. I keep the sauce simple with broth, salt, and pepper because I still want to taste the scallops. It also cooks faster than my main Chop Suey recipe since there is no meat that needs to simmer first.

I cook the scallops first and take them out before adding the vegetables. About 2 minutes on each side is enough for medium sea scallops. They go back into the pan for about 30 seconds at the end, just long enough to warm through. Scallops get rubbery fast when overcooked, so I do not leave them in the pan any longer than needed.

I pat the scallops dry before they go into the pan, especially if I am using frozen ones. Too much water can thin the sauce, and the cabbage will release some liquid too. I also stir the cornstarch mixture again right before pouring it in because it settles quickly.

What is Scallop Chop Suey?

Chop suey is basically a mix of vegetables cooked with some protein and a little sauce. This version uses sea scallops along with quail eggs, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, snow peas, and bell pepper. The scallops cook much faster than pork or chicken, which is why this whole dish comes together quickly.

I do not use soy sauce or oyster sauce in this one. I use both in other chop suey recipes, but I think they cover too much of the scallop flavor here. A little broth, salt, and pepper are enough, then cornstarch thickens the sauce just enough to coat the vegetables.

I usually serve this with warm rice. I also like having the quail eggs in there because they make the dish feel more complete without having to add another protein.

Ingredients

• Sea scallops – Medium size, about a pound, which comes out to roughly 12 to 16 pieces. That gives you a few scallops in each serving.
• Quail eggs – A dozen, boiled and peeled, and they go into the pan whole.
• Cabbage – One small head. I chop it into pieces big enough to still have some bite after 5 minutes in the pan.
• Cauliflower – Cut the florets small so they start to soften before the other vegetables go in. Large ones are still raw in the middle by the time the snow peas are overcooked.
• Carrot – Sliced crosswise and thin. Thick coins are still firm by the time everything else is done.
• Snow peas – Half a pound. Snap off the stem ends and pull the string down the side. I leave them whole, since they are nicer to pick up that way.
• Red bell pepper – Sliced into wide strips. Thin slivers disappear into the vegetables and lose their crunch.
• Onion – One medium, sliced. I cook it just until it softens, not until it browns.
• Garlic – Minced. Two teaspoons is about four cloves if you are chopping it yourself.
• Chicken or vegetable broth – A quarter cup only. I reach for vegetable broth when I want the dish to stay all seafood and vegetables.
• Cornstarch – Diluted in an equal amount of water. Mix it in a small cup you can stir again at the last second.
• Cooking oil – Two tablespoons. Anything neutral works.
• Salt and pepper – Added at the end, after the sauce thickens. Broth is already salty and brands are not equally salty, so taste before you season.

Scallops are the ingredient worth spending a minute on at the store. Sea scallops are the large ones, about an inch and a half across, and they are what this recipe uses. Bay scallops are the small sweet ones and they cook in half the time. Most scallops in US supermarkets are wet scallops, treated with a phosphate solution that holds water, and you can spot them by the milky liquid in the package. Dry scallops cost more, brown better, and shrink less in the pan.

Frozen sea scallops are fine here. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, drain them, and pat them dry. Check the side of each one for the small tough tab of muscle and pull it off, since it stays chewy no matter how you cook it. I sear them the same way I do for my Easy Seared Scallops, cooking each side until it turns golden brown.

I get everything cut, boiled, and measured before the pan goes on the stove, because this one is over quickly. The scallops cook first, come out of the pan, and go back in at the very end.

1. Heat the cooking oil in a pan.
2. Sauté the garlic and onion until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add the scallops. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side.
4. Remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside.

Take them out while the centers are barely set. Scallops keep cooking after they leave the pan, and they get another half minute in the sauce later.

1. Add the carrot and cauliflower. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the snow peas, cabbage, and bell pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir every minute or so instead of constantly. The vegetables need contact with the hot pan to soften, and the cabbage should still have a little bite when you pour the broth in.

1. Pour in the broth and let it boil.
2. Add the hard-boiled quail eggs.
3. Pour in the cornstarch mixture. Stir until the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Add the scallops back to the pan. Gently toss everything together and cook for about 30 seconds.

Toss with a wide spoon rather than stirring hard. Quail eggs slip around and scallops break apart once they are cooked, and both look better whole on the plate.

1. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm. Share and enjoy!

What to Serve with Scallop Chop Suey

• Warm white rice – This is what I usually serve with it at home.
• Yang Chow Fried Rice – Fried rice is how I like eating this one when I want a fuller plate.
• Pancit Canton – Flour stick noodles with pork, shrimp, and Chinese sausage. I put the noodles and the chop suey out together when there are people over.
• Spiced vinegar – A small saucer of vinegar with crushed peppercorns and a chili on the side, for anyone who wants a sharper bite with the vegetables.
• Calamansi – A squeeze over the scallops right before eating, if you like a little sourness with seafood.

Storage

Scallop Chop Suey keeps for a couple of days, though the vegetables soften as it sits.

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The scallops firm up in the cold, so I take out only what we are going to eat and reheat that much in a pan.
• Freezer: I would not freeze the finished dish. Cabbage, snow peas, and bell pepper come out watery after thawing, and the scallops go tough. What I do freeze is the raw scallops, sealed in a bag on their own, so the next batch is ready whenever I have vegetables to use.
• Reheating: A hot pan for 2 to 3 minutes is better than a microwave here. Add a splash of water if the sauce has set, and take the pan off the heat as soon as it is steaming, since the scallops are already cooked.

More Chop Suey Recipes

• Pork Chop Suey – Thin strips of pork shoulder with carrot, cabbage, and bell pepper.
• Chicken Chop Suey – Chicken with liver and gizzard, shrimp, and quail eggs.
• Beef Chop Suey – Beef top sirloin marinated before it goes in the pan.
• Chopsuey Stir Fry – Shrimp seared for 30 seconds a side, then vegetables on high heat with broccoli and young corn.
• Squid Ball Chop Suey – Squid balls from the frozen section, cooked with chicken liver.
• Crab and Corn Chopsuey – Crab and sweet corn in a thicker, slightly sweet sauce.

• Sea scallops – You can cook large shrimp or squid rings the same way. Sear them, take them out, and return them at the end.
• Quail eggs – You can use two boiled chicken eggs cut into quarters instead. My Chopsuey with Quail Eggs is the pork version if you want a saucier plate with the eggs in it.
• Cauliflower – Broccoli florets, cut small and added at the same point as the carrot.
• Snow peas – Baguio beans, sliced on a diagonal. They need longer, so put them in with the carrot instead.
• Cabbage – Napa cabbage. Cut the thick white parts smaller and expect more liquid in the pan.
• Broth – Water with a pinch of salt. The sauce tastes plainer, so season a little more at the end.

I like serving Scallop Chop Suey while it is still hot and the vegetables still have some crunch. Warm rice is enough for me, especially with a little of the sauce spooned over it.