Tender and sweet Scallop Sushi! These butterflied scallops are placed on top of sushi rice and garnished with spicy mayo and yuzu tobiko.
Our family loves sushi. Among many different kinds of sushi, one of our children’s favorites is Scallop Sushi. Not only do scallops taste good, but the best part is that farmed scallops are considered sustainable/eco-friendly choice.
When the scallop sashimi is really good quality, the flesh is slightly firm but tender, and the flavor is sweet with a clean finish.
To enjoy scallop sushi at home, all you need to do is to defrost the scallop, make sushi rice, and make nigiri sushi topped with the scallop. How easy is that! These will make a great appetizer for your next party. Enjoy!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.

Scallop Sushi
Ingredients
- 2 sushi-grade scallops
- ⅓ cup sushi rice (cooked and seasoned)
- wasabi (optional)
Tezu (vinegared hand-dipping water):
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
Toppings (optional):
- 2 tsp yuzu-flavored tobiko (flying fish roe)
- 2 tsp Homemade Spicy Mayo
- 2 chives
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut off the muscle from scallops.
- Butterfly the scallops.
- Moisten your hands with tezu (vinegar dipping hand) and pick up a tablespoon-sized ball of sushi rice. Gently squeeze the rice in your right hand to form a rectangular block with rounded edges and slides. Apply some pressure to the rice while forming it into a sturdy base for the scallops.
- Garnish each formed piece of rice with a small bit of wasabi (if you like) and top it off with a scallop. Add tobiko and spicy mayo to each piece of scallop and decorate with chive. Because of raw scallop, enjoy it on the same day!
Nutrition
Our Recommendations for Buying Sashimi Online
When we have a sudden craving for sashimi we usually buy from our local Japanese supermarkets. If you don't have a reliable shop to purchase quality sashimi nearby, we would recommend buying from Catalina Offshore online.
They've been in business for over forty years and all the sashimi products we've tried from them are outstanding. Use J1COOK20 for 10% discount. Disclosure: We earn a small percentage commission from your purchase of products linked to Catalina Offshore.
What is the best way to defrost frozen Hokkaido scallop to keep its freshness taste?
Hi Bonnie! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
Here are a few ways to defrost.
1. Use ice and salt. Mix ice cubes and 2~3% of salt in the bowl. Then place the frozen scallops between the ice, and cover. Leave it at room temperature for 1~2hours until it gets halfway soft for this recipe.
2. Leave the frozen scallops in the refrigerator for about 3 hours for this recipe.
3. Use water and salt. Place the frozen scallops in the bowl of water. Mix 3% of salt and leave it for 15~30 minutes at room temperature. (This works well, but the texture is not good as when you use ice cube)
We hope this is helpful!
[…] and sriracha sauce together, the result is a killer sauce that gives sushi such as tuna rolls or scallop sushi an extra kick of […]
Just make chirashi! So easy! So glad you mentioned tezu. That was a must in my mother’s kitchen. I have just sliced 6 huge sea scallops (frozen), about 1.75 inches diameter, and they are mostly still frozen but in the fridge. Sashimi? Sunomono? Ceviche? Chirashi? Not sure quite yet or mix it up! I’m picturing some cucumber, wakame, shoyu, bit of vinegar, wasabi, homemade lacto-fermented ginger. Simpler would be my choice or make them all! Such a decision to make!? Lol! Thanks, Nami, for all your posts!!!
Hi Chieko! Your chirashi must be delicious! All the choices sound very nice. It’s light and refreshing!
I am so excited to tried all of the recipes you have made.
Hi Dorriya! Aww thank you! Hope you enjoy them. 🙂
This was great. Presentation was spectacular! I did cut the butterfly in half, I was not sure how to fit the hole piece in my mouth. It was Delicious! I am checking out the other sushi recipes.
Hi Dean! So happy to hear you liked this recipe! Thanks so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
How do you make “yuzu-flavored tobiko”?
Hi Melanie! I get it from a Japanese supermarket. Instead of orange color, it’s yellow. There is also wasabi-flavored tobiko which is light green color tobiko. 🙂 Not quite sure how they make it…
I have never eaten raw scallops but I can imagine the flavor from farmed ones! Yum!
Donna, it’s really amazing and hope you get to try good scallop one day! 🙂