How to make scallops - or oysters - motoyaki, a simple Japanese grilled seafood dish
- If oysters are hard to come by, use fresh scallops, which can be briefly seared before being topped with a rich mayonnaise
- Make the mayonnaise yourself, or buy the Japanese brand Kewpie
When I lived in San Francisco, in the United States, there was an izakaya I often visited that served a delicious dish that was listed on the menu simply as “grilled oysters”.
Far from being the austere dish you’d expect, the oysters were covered in a rich mayonnaise before being grilled. I didn’t find out until afterwards that the dish has a name: oysters motoyaki.
Scallops (or oysters) motoyaki
The preparation of this dish is quite easy, but I usually substitute fresh scallops for oysters. In Hong Kong, scallops are available in most seafood markets, unlike oysters, for which you need to visit a shop that imports them. If you do use oysters, choose small- to medium-size ones – with shell size of about 6cm to 8cm. With oysters, the bivalves are still raw – the quick browning of the mayonnaise isn’t enough to cook them.
When I make this dish with scallops, though, I prefer to sear them before topping them with the mayonnaise. I sear them briefly in the pan, so the flesh is mi-cuit (half-cooked), with a raw core.
You have a choice of using home-made mayonnaise or commercial. If you choose the latter, there is only one option: Kewpie, a delicious mayonnaise from Japan, and which, for this recipe, you can just mix in citrus zest and juice. I love the traditional process of making mayonnaise, though, so I’ve given a recipe for the home-made version.
When making mayonnaise, it is important that the ingredients be at room temperature or even slightly warm. Add the oil slowly and whisk constantly; if you add too much oil too quickly, you risk breaking the emulsion and the mayonnaise will curdle. Whenever the emulsion starts getting too thick, whisk in some liquid – either citrus juice or water.
