- 2 tablespoons fermented black beans
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/3 cup Shao Hsing rice wine or Japanese sake
- 1/4 cup mirin (see Note)
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems trimmed
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pounds large dry sea scallops (see Note)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish
- If using fermented black beans, place them in a small bowl, cover with water and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until light golden and fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the black beans (or 1 tablespoon black bean-garlic sauce) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Carefully pour in rice wine (or sake), mirin and sesame oil; lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, lightly crushing the black beans, until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Preheat grill to high.
- Put cilantro, lemon juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a blender; process until smooth. Transfer the marinade to a large bowl, add scallops and gently toss to coat with the marinade. Divide the scallops among 6 skewers, spacing about 1/2 inch apart. Season with pepper. (Discard marinade.) Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the scallops until golden and crisp on the edges and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Serve with the black bean sauce and garnish with cilantro sprigs.