Twelve to fifteen minutes at 425°F. That’s your answer, the one that works every single time for most home cooks. But scallop size matters, bacon thickness matters, and your personal crispness preference matters too. Let me walk you through exactly when to stick with that timing and when to adjust.
The Golden Standard: 425°F for 12 to 15 Minutes
This temperature hits the sweet spot where scallops cook through without turning rubbery while bacon gets properly crispy. At 425°F, the high heat renders the bacon fat quickly and caramelizes its edges, creating that satisfying crunch. Meanwhile, the scallops steam gently inside their bacon blanket, staying tender and sweet.
Watch for these signs: your scallops transform from translucent and glassy to opaque white, almost ivory. The bacon sizzles, its edges darkening to a deep amber. Fat bubbles on the baking sheet. The aroma shifts from raw pork to that unmistakable smoky, salty perfection.
Standard sea scallops, the large ones about 1.5 to 2 inches across, wrapped in regular-cut bacon, need exactly 12 minutes. Check them then. If the bacon looks pale or the scallops still have that glassy center, give them 3 more minutes.
When to Adjust Your Cooking Time
For Larger Scallops or Thick Bacon
Jumbo scallops, those magnificent specimens marked 10/20 per pound or larger, need more time. Same goes if you grabbed thick-cut bacon without thinking. Add 2 to 3 minutes to your base time, bringing you to 15 to 17 minutes total.
The scallops need those extra minutes to cook all the way through their dense, meaty centers. Thick bacon takes longer to render its fat and crisp up. Check at 15 minutes, then again every 2 minutes until the bacon looks right.
For Extra Crispy Bacon
Here’s the trick that solves the eternal bacon-scallop dilemma: pre-cook your bacon just slightly before wrapping. This gives the bacon a head start so it finishes crispy right when the scallops reach perfection.
Microwave method: lay 4 to 5 bacon strips on a paper towel-lined plate, cover with more paper towels, microwave 2 minutes. The bacon stays pliable but loses some moisture.
Oven method: arrange bacon on a foil-lined sheet, bake at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes until some fat renders but the strips aren’t crisp yet. Let cool 3 to 5 minutes before wrapping.
Then proceed with your normal 12 to 15 minutes at 425°F. The bacon will finish beautifully crisp while the scallops stay tender.
Starting from Frozen
Frozen scallops need gentler heat and more time. Preheat your oven to 375°F instead of 425°F. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, checking at 18 to see how close they are.
The lower temperature prevents the outside from overcooking while the frozen center thaws and cooks through. You’ll know they’re ready when the scallops are completely opaque and the bacon is crisp. Internal temperature should hit 145°F if you’re checking with a thermometer.
Better yet, thaw them overnight in the fridge or under cold running water. Dry them thoroughly before wrapping. This brings you back to the reliable 425°F timing.
The Broiler Option (And Why I’m Cautious)
Broiling works, technically. Ten to fifteen minutes with your oven rack positioned 6 inches below the heating element. The intense top-down heat crisps bacon fast and browns the tops beautifully.
But broiling comes with drama. Bacon fat splatters. Smoke billows from your oven. One moment of distraction and your scallops go from perfect to charred. The bottom side of the bacon often stays flabby while the top burns.
If you choose this route, watch them like a hawk. Rotate the pan halfway through. Have your exhaust fan running. Accept that you might need to drain excess grease partway through to prevent a small kitchen fire.
I prefer the steadier, more forgiving heat of regular baking at 425°F. Less excitement, more consistent results.
How to Know They’re Perfectly Done
Three reliable signs tell you to pull that pan from the oven:
Scallops turn opaque. They lose that translucent, jelly-like quality and become solid white throughout, maybe with a hint of ivory or cream. Slice one open if you’re unsure. No glassiness in the center.
Bacon is crisp and golden. The strips should be firm, not flabby. Edges darken to deep brown, almost mahogany. Fat is fully rendered, leaving the meat crispy and the sheet pan slick with drippings.
Internal temperature reaches 145°F. If you’re using an instant-read thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of a scallop. This is optional but removes all guesswork, especially if you’re serving guests.
One critical warning: overcooked scallops turn rubbery and dense, like bouncy little erasers. Better to pull them a minute early than a minute late. They’ll finish cooking from residual heat as they rest on your serving platter.
The Setup That Makes Timing Easier
How you prepare and arrange your scallops directly affects cooking time and success rate.
Dry your scallops obsessively. Pat them with paper towels until no moisture remains. Wet scallops steam instead of cooking properly, adding precious minutes and preventing that slight caramelization around the edges.
Space them out. Arrange wrapped scallops in a single layer with at least 2 inches between each one. Crowding traps steam and grease, leading to soggy bacon and uneven cooking. Use two baking sheets if needed.
Line with parchment. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup trivial. Foil works too but can cause more sticking.
Cut bacon to size. If your bacon strips are long, cut them in half or even thirds. You want just enough to wrap around once with minimal overlap. Too much bacon layered on itself won’t cook through properly.
These details seem small but they’re the difference between checking your scallops at 12 minutes and finding perfection versus finding a greasy mess that needs another 5 minutes.
Quick Troubleshooting
| Problem | Why It Happens | The Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon stays flabby while scallops overcook | Scallops cook faster than raw bacon | Pre-cook bacon 2-3 minutes before wrapping |
| Scallops turn rubbery and dense | Overcooked past 145°F internal temp | Check at 12 minutes, reduce time next batch |
| Uneven cooking, some done, some raw | Scallops different sizes or crowded pan | Use uniform-sized scallops, space 2 inches apart |
| Too much grease pooling on pan | Normal bacon rendering | Drain liquid halfway through cooking time |
| Bacon burning on top, raw underneath | Oven hot spots or broiling too close | Rotate pan halfway, move rack lower |
Your scallops are wrapped, your oven is hot, and now you know exactly how long they need. Twelve to fifteen minutes at 425°F handles most situations beautifully. Adjust for size and thickness, watch for that opaque transformation, and trust your eyes over the timer. The moment the bacon crisps and the scallops turn white, they’re ready. Pull them, rest them a minute, and serve them while they’re still sizzling.
