Smoked Wakame & Cascabel-Cured Hokkaido Scallops
I still remember sitting on a bustling street corner in Oaxaca, biting into a tlayuda dusted with smoky cascabel chile, when my brain suddenly flashed to the drying racks of kombu I saw years earlier in Hokkaido. That unexpected culinary collision sparked this dish: Smoked Wakame & Cascabel-Cured Hokkaido Scallops. This recipe is deeply special to me because it proves that the Pacific Ocean connects us all, bridging the umami-rich shores of Japan with the smoky, earthy warmth of Mexico. The magic here is the cure. Giving those plump scallops just a short nap in ground smoked wakame, cascabel, and sea salt draws out excess moisture while locking in ocean brine and gentle heat. Pair that with a velvety, fire-charred poblano-dashi reduction and the nutty crunch of fried sunchokes, and you have pure magic. Want to make it your own? Swap the sunchokes for roasted Jerusalem artichokes or even crispy garlic chips if you are in a rush. Don't be afraid to break the rules in your kitchen—that is where the best flavors are born. Now, go fire up that pan and get cooking!
Featured Recipe
Smoked Wakame & Cascabel-Cured Hokkaido Scallops with Creamy Charred Poblano Dashi & Crispy Sunchokes
Plump Hokkaido sea scallops undergo a quick curing process in ground smoked wakame, earthy Mexican cascabel chile, and sea salt before a scorching pan-sear. They are served over a velvety, fire-charred poblano-dashi reduction and finished with nutty fried sunchoke chips and cilantro-yuzu oil.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry-pack Hokkaido sea scallops(about 12-14 large U-10 or U-12 scallops, side muscles removed)
- 1 tsp smoked sea salt(finely ground)
- 1 piece dried cascabel chile(stemmed, seeded, and ground into fine powder (yields approx. 1 tsp))
- 1 tbsp wakame flakes(finely ground to powder in a spice grinder)
- 0.5 tsp turbinado sugar(blended into the cure rub)
- 2 pieces poblano peppers(medium to large, charred and peeled)
- 0.75 cup dashi broth(freshly made kombu-katsuobushi dashi or high-grade instant)
- 1 tbsp shiro miso(sweet white fermented soybean paste)
- 0.25 cup heavy cream(or full-fat coconut cream)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter(divided: 1 tbsp cold cubed for sauce, 1 tbsp for pan-basting scallops)
- 8 oz sunchokes(Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed clean and sliced paper-thin on a mandoline)
- 0.5 cup neutral high-heat oil(divided: 6 tbsp for frying chips, 2 tbsp for searing scallops; avocado or grapeseed oil)
- 1 tbsp yuzu juice(fresh or bottled 100% pure juice)
- 0.5 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems(finely minced for herb oil)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil(for herb oil)
- 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt(Maldon or similar, for finishing)
- 6 tbsp neutral high-heat oil(Used in Step 3 but only 0.5 cup listed)
- 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt(Used in Step 3 and Step 5, but only 0.5 tsp listed in total)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter(Used in Step 6 but only 2 tbsp listed)
Instructions
- 1
Grind the 1 piece dried cascabel chile and 1 tbsp wakame flakes in a spice grinder until very fine. Combine in a small bowl with 1 tsp smoked sea salt and 0.5 tsp turbinado sugar. Pat the 1 lb dry-pack Hokkaido sea scallops completely dry with paper towels. Season both flat sides of the scallops evenly with the cure mixture, transfer to a wire rack set over a tray, and let cure refrigerated for 15 minutes to draw surface moisture and concentrate the scallops' natural sweetness.
18 min
Tip: Keeping scallops uncovered in the fridge creates a pellicle, which accelerates the caramelization and produces a glassy, crackling sear in seconds.
- 2
Roast the 2 pieces poblano peppers directly over an open gas flame or under a screaming-hot broiler, turning with tongs until completely blistered and blackened on all sides, about 6 minutes. Place them in a bowl, cover tightly with a plate or wrap, and allow them to steam for 5 minutes to loosen skins.
11 min
Tip: Steaming traps hot moisture against the charred skin, making peeling fast without washing away flavorful oils under running water.
- 3
In a heavy skillet, heat 6 tbsp neutral high-heat oil over medium-high heat (around 350°F/175°C). Fry the paper-thin 8 oz sunchokes in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per batch until golden amber and crisp. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and season immediately with a pinch of the 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt.
8 min
Tip: Sunchokes have natural sugars that brown quickly, so pull them just as they turn light golden—residual heat will finish crispening them.
- 4
Peel the charred skins from the steamed poblanos and discard the stems and seeds (do not rinse). In a high-speed blender, combine the peeled poblanos, 0.75 cup dashi broth, 1 tbsp shiro miso, and 0.25 cup heavy cream. Blend until completely smooth and velvety. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan over low heat and gently whisk in 1 tbsp unsalted butter until glossy and hot; keep warm.
6 min
Tip: The glutamate from the shiro miso and dashi bonds with the capsicum warmth of the poblano, creating incredible savoriness without overwhelming heat.
- 5
In a small bowl, stir together the minced 0.5 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, and 1 tbsp yuzu juice. Season with a tiny pinch of 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt and set aside for plating.
4 min
Tip: Mixing this right before serving preserves the vibrant emerald green color and bright citrus aromas without acid-dulling.
- 6
Remove the scallops from the refrigerator and dab any bead of surface moisture with a clean paper towel. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or carbon steel skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Pour in the remaining 2 tbsp neutral high-heat oil. Lay the scallops into the pan with ample space between them. Sear undisturbed for 90 seconds until a deep, mahogany-golden crust develops. Flip, add the remaining 1 tbsp unsalted butter, baste the scallops for 45 seconds, and immediately transfer to a warm plate. Scallops should be translucent and tender in the center.
4 min
Tip: Do not move the scallops during the first 90 seconds! Butter added at the end bastes the edges and blooms the spices without scorching.
- 7
Spoon warm poblano-dashi sauce across the base of four shallow dining bowls. Nestle 3 to 4 seared scallops into the sauce, seared crust facing up. Scatter crispy sunchoke chips around the scallops, drizzle with the yuzu cilantro oil, and finish each scallop with a light sprinkle of remaining 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt.
3 min
Tip: Serve immediately while the contrast between the scorching hot crisp scallop crust and the silky warm dashi sauce is at its peak.
Chef's Notes
WHY THIS WORKS: Hokkaido scallops are renowned for their high concentration of glycine, an amino acid that produces unmatched natural sweetness. By dry-curing them briefly with ground smoked sea salt, cascabel chile, and powdered wakame, we trigger osmosis: surface water is drawn out, forming a concentrated exterior protein film (pellicle) while leaving the sweet interior lush and raw. When hitting a screaming-hot cast iron pan, the cascabel's nutty, woodsy heat and the wakame's oceanic glutamates undergo rapid Maillard browning in under 90 seconds without overcooking the delicate muscle inside. Pairing this with a roasted poblano and dashi emulsion ties Mexican hearth-roasting to Japanese umami architecture seamlessly.
Kenji Nakamura
Where Japanese precision meets global flavors
I trained in Tokyo for eight years, mastering the discipline of washoku—traditional Japanese cuisine. But I got restless. So I cooked my way through Southeast Asia, spent a year in Mexico City, and fell hard for the food of Peru. Now I see connections between cuisines that others miss: the umami in dashi and fish sauce, the heat in shishito and Szechuan peppercorns, the way Japanese technique can unlock flavors from any tradition. I'm always fermenting something.