This XO sauce scallops is a homely and gourmet treat at the same time. Pairing large scallops with premium XO sauce is always a treat on the dinner table.
XO Sauce is a gourmet Cantonese seafood sauce made up of dried scallops & dried shrimps among other ingredients, and it can be eaten on its own as a condiment or used in stir-fries. Whenever I need to wok something in a hurry, I used XO Sauce as the base and I will most certainly be ensured a restaurant-quality and luxurious Chinese dish with minimum effort and preparation. I love XO Sauce and I truly believe that every cook into Chinese cooking should have a bottle in the kitchen. Even though a bottle of XO Sauce is pricey (about S$20 a bottle) due to the dried scallops, a little goes a long way in cooking. Dishes with XO Sauce are premiumly priced at Chinese restaurants, so a dish with XO sauce is much cheaper when cooked at home.
For best results, use large scallops for this recipe. You can get the Canadian scallops or Hokkaido scallops from the local supermarkets. Pat dry them on paper towels before adding to the wok.
Other complement to this stir-fry: carrot, snow peas, ginger and celery.
XO Sauce is a gourmet Cantonese seafood sauce made up of dried scallops & dried shrimps among other ingredients, and it can be eaten on its own as a condiment or used in stir-fries.
For best results, use large and good quality scallops because they will shrink significantly after cooking. I bought frozen Hokkaido scallops which cost about S$30+ for a 1kg box. The scallops were big, juicy and not fishy, so it is definitely worth the price tag for a dish like this.