Name: Grilled Scallops with Orange-Scented Quinoa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups quinoa; Zest of 1 large orange; Kosher salt; Vegetable-oil cooking spray; Eighteen 1 1/2-to-2-inch scallops (about 1 1/2 pounds), tough muscle removed; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 large orange); 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed; 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

GRILLED SCALLOPS WITH ORANGE-­SCENTED QUINOA, Giada De Laurentiis, Giada at
Home/Giada’s Book Club, Food Network, Quinoa, Oranges, Scallops, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice,
Garbanzo Beans, Parsley

Grilled Scallops with Orange-Scented Quinoa

quinoa

orange

Kosher salt

Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Eighteen 1 1/2-to-2-inch scallops (about

olive oil

salt and pepper

orange juice (about 1 large orange)

lemon juice

garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

flat-leaf parsley

For the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water, the quinoa, orange zest and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork, cover the pan and let the quinoa sit for 10 to 12 more minutes.

For the scallops: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Spray with cooking spray. Thread 3 scallops onto a skewer. Thread another skewer (alongside the first) through the scallops about 1/2-inch apart to make flipping the skewers easier. Repeat with the remaining scallops and skewers to make 6 skewers in total. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth.

Place the quinoa in a large serving bowl. Add the dressing, beans and parsley. Toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange the grilled scallops on top and serve.

This was my first time making scallops and it was a great introductory meal! 

I just saw this recipe today and look forward to making it this weekend. The only modifications I'll make is to cook the quinoa in vegetable broth and leave out the salt, I'll also toast the chickpeas since I want a little crunch to this dish. 

I found the quinoa way too salty and a bit too oily.  The orange could have been a nice touch, but for me, it was overpowered by the oily texture and all the salt.  The addition of the garbanzo beans were not my cup of tea.  I also found the parsley to be overpowering.  Maybe it would appeal to someone else, but as a family of 5, none of us liked it and we threw away the leftovers.

I just made the quinoa/chickpea side and not the scallops as part of my dinner tonight and loved it!  My only modifications (other than not making scallops) were to whisk the vinaigrette in the large bowl I was going to put the quinoa, garbanzos and parsley in (so I didn't dirty another dish), and I added a little dijon to the vinaigrette as an emulsifier.  I also toast my quinoa before adding the liquid.  I will absolutely make this again.

When I cook scallops, I think you accentuate the positives by serving them alongside something that has a "sweet and sour" flavor profile. Carmelized onions with a little vinegar to give you an idea. By looking at the ingredients in the quinoa salad, you would think you were gonna get a good fit (lemon and orange. But instead the salad was very bitter. An unavoidable combination I guess of the chick pea and the quinoa. After I made it, I added honey and more lemon juice by taste. It was okay when we avoided the chick peas while eating. I think I'll just avoid it all together next time.

Adding orange zest and juice to quinoa is an excellent idea, it really rounds out the slight bitterness of quinoa. I used less oil in the dressing (the recipe really doesn't need it, since the lemon and orange juices add so much moisture and extra orange juice.  I also added finely sliced scallions which really kicked it up, and  I added cilantro which made this, in my opinion, the PERFECT dish, but my husband despises cilantro (it is proven that some people have palates that taste cilantro as soap or perfume---it is genetic! so I can only add it in for my portion. But the scallions and cilantro really make a BIG difference. I will definitely keep this as a go-to side dish!

Love the combination of orange and scallops.  Quinoa adds a fantastic texture pairing to the scallops. I used cilantro because I was out of parsley and it added a nice flavor twist. I also used black beans instead of garbanzo.  

This was my first time cooking Quinoa and also scallops. It was perfect! I just cut down the olive oil in half and it was still amazing!

This recipe cooks up beautiful. The orange zest and quinoa smells and tastes perfect. The garbanzo beans give a nice opposing texture to the scallops but I think next time I will try this recipe with bay scallops and no beans. All in all a 3 star recipe. 

Oh my goodness, this was DELICIOUS!  I did modify the quinoa a bit by not putting the orange peel in...I have an aversion to grated things.  Loved loved loved this meal.

I added a bit of honey to the quinoa after reading so many bitter posts. Turned out very nice and light. I'd make it again.

I usually love giada's receipe but this one was just ok. I did added some lemon zest and sugar snap pea but still needed something else.

The quinoa needed something, so I added some lemon zest and more salt.  Now I am going to add some sliced green onion.  Not sure I would make it again...sorry Giada

For some reason my quinoa had a strange, bitter taste to it. I haven't eaten quinoa enough times to know whether this is typical of the food or not, but I'm guessing it had less to do with the quinoa (pre-washed, btw and more to do with another ingredient... maybe the type of olive oil I used, or the orange zest. I halved the recipe and therefore used approximately half an orange's-worth of zest, but maybe I used a little too much. I'm fully aware that the white part of the rind is to be avoided when zesting, but it might be possible that some snuck in. I only made one change in using dried parsley (with the appropriate measurement modifications instead of fresh, and I don't think this would contribute to the bitterness. Bah. I'm so sad this didn't turn out better! In other news, the scallops worked beautifully with the dish and helped mellow out the bitterness, as did the beans.

wow added some toasted pine nits and some raisins used organic quinoa and organic raisins. this dish rocks will make it again and again. loved the dressing for the quinoa

I only made the quinoa as a side dish to some pork chops.  It was delicious!  This is definitely my new favorite quinoa recipe.

Easy, flavorful and does not need to be altered. I used giant scallops and did not need to modify the instructions. Also used metal skewers (did not have wooden ones. Still wonderful.

I didn't use the garbanzo beans (&amp; I didn't do the scallops, just the quinoa. I also added the orange segments once the grains had cooked. It was very light &amp; fresh, but just a bit boring. I would also add some lime &amp; lemon zests &amp; juices too, if I were to make it again.

The flavors in this dish are INCREDIBLE!  I followed the recipe exactly.  Normally there are things you need to tweak in recipes but not this one.  I highly recommend keeping the garbanzo beans.  They make the dish pop!  SO much flavor with all of the fresh ingredients...orange, lemon, fresh parsley leaves...soooo good!!!  Definitely making this again!  Super healthy too!

very tasty dish. Instead of grilling the scallops, I seared them in a cast-iron skillet. Then I added chopped green onions to the quinoa. My husband and I made only 1 lb. of scallops and finished them off.

Light, healthy, and totally hit the spot. 

I didn't have the lemon juice or the parsley but I loved the end result~!~ Jessica

This was interesting, but the orange scented quinoa was a bit odd. I liked the simplicity of the scallops, but I found the orange scented quinoa a little too perfumey. 

Excellent recipe!  Good blend of flavors and very healthy.  Thank you Giada for another keeper recipe.

Good quiona recipe. I think the garbanzo beans made it a bit too starchy so next time I will try adding toasted pine nuts instead. 

Very good quinoa recipe. I used a large can of garbanzos and served with shrimp instead of scallops. Hearty and yummy.

I am always looking for a good quinoa recipe. This was a great one! I did not make the scallops, just the quinoa portion and served with grilled steak.  The quinoa was quick (and this method is a perfect one! usually my quinoa turns out not cooked enough but this was great and just right and flavorful.  I didn't use the garbanzo beans and the recipe was delicious without them but I might think about adding slivered almonds for additional texture.  Definitely recommend!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/apps/api/playback?path=/etc/sni-asset/food/videos/0/02/023/0235/0235504

Giada makes an orange-scented quinoa to accompany her Grilled Scallops.

Grilled Scallops with Orange-Scented Quinoa

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 5

Author : Giada De Laurentiis Bio & Top Recipes

Ingredients

Instructions

Top similar recipes