Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

In the past few years I have raved about a wonderful product made from Hungarian red bell peppers called Paprika Creme. I have also complained about not being able to find this product online. It’s typically a hit-and-miss situation on Amazon.

Then lo and behold, I experienced a Christmas miracle of the culinary kind. I was contacted in early December by a representative of Univer, the brand of paprika creme that I was originally introduced to by my Hungarian girlfriend!

His name is Gabriel Bicking, and he’s Univer’s technology director. Not only that, but he oversees a website called – For the Love of Paprika where all of the Univer products can be purchased! Univer sells much more than paprika creme.

His email to me was kind, because he knew that it had been challenging for me to find this fabulous paprika product. So not only did I discover the website thanks to him, I was sent four products.

There is also a bblog, where Mr. Bicking shared my most recent paprika creme-related post, paprika-smothered pork tenderloin, plus you can sign up to receive free recipes utilizing the Univer products.

For purchase, there’s an ebook entitled “For the Love of Paprika” by John Czingula, which is in PDF format. It’s 239 pages, and includes everything from appetizers to meat to sauces, incorporating Hungarian paprika.

I was quite intrigued by the cookbook, and decided to use paprika creme in bacon-wrapped scallops – a recipe that just jumped out at me. It sounded so delicious!

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Paprika Creme
Recipe from “For the Love of Paprika”

16 scallops
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 slices bacon, sliced in half crosswise
Univer Red Gold paprika creme, mild, about 2 tablespoons

First rinse the scallops and drain them in a colander.

Then place them on paper towels to dry completely.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat. It’s okay if the butter browns, but if it burns, turn down the heat slightly.

Add about four scallops at a time, and brown them on one side for about 3 minutes.

The timing of course depends on the size of the scallops.

Turn them over and brown the other side.

Remove them to a plate and continue browning the scallops.

If the scallops are too greasy, you can always place them on paper towels to dry.

Cook the 16 slices of bacon until slightly browned, yet still pliable. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Place some paprika creme in a small bowl. I chose the “delikat,” or mild paprika creme. Use a small brush to coat one side of the scallops generously.

While the bacon is still warm, place a piece on a cutting board and place a scallop on top, with the paprika creme on the top. Cover the scallop with both ends of the bacon and use a toothpick to secure the scallop in place. You can always use two at first; once the bacon has “molded” to the scallop you can remove the second toothpick.

Continue until all 16 scallops have been wrapped.

Serve immediately.

The combination of the bacon and paprika creme is incredible, but adding the sweet scallop to the mix puts this appetizer over the top!

And so I continue to rave about paprika creme. And now I have a source for it! Plus, I can’t wait to try the other Univer products.

Univer suggests using paprika creme in the following:
• Add a spicy boost to stews, soups
• Glaze a sizzling steak or chop
• Mix into ground meats
• Add to marinades
• Sauté onions and vegetables
• Create wonderful dips
• Mix into salsa
• Add to ranch dressing
• Lightly brush onto hot grilled pineapple
• Add to oil or butter when sautéing any vegetable
• Glaze sizzling meats
• Create delicious dips
• Mix into ground meats
• Lightly toss with cooked pasta before dressing with sauce
• Add a little to boiling water when cooking hot dogs
• Stir into hot fluffy rice, or add to water when preparing
• Add a little to scrambled eggs