I first came across the inspiration for these noodles in a recipe for XO Noodles with Pork, which I love and make often. The original dish uses ground pork that is cooked until deeply browned and crispy, then tossed with chow mein or lo mein noodles, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, aromatics, and a rich XO sauce. I loved the idea, but I wanted to take the dish in a more seafood-forward direction. Since XO sauce itself is built around dried seafood, particularly dried scallops and shrimp, it seemed like a natural match for fresh sea scallops.
If you’ve never had it, XO sauce is one of the great flavor bombs of Cantonese cooking. It is a chunky, intensely savory condiment made from ingredients such as dried scallops, dried shrimp, Chinese cured ham, chiles, garlic, and shallots. Despite its name, there is no XO Cognac in it. The name refers to the “XO,” or extra-old, designation used for Cognac and was intended to evoke luxury and prestige. XO sauce is generally traced to Hong Kong’s restaurant scene in the 1980s and is commonly credited to the Spring Moon restaurant at The Peninsula Hong Kong, although the precise origin story is somewhat disputed.
For my version, I made several changes to the original pork noodles. The most obvious was replacing the crispy ground pork with large sea scallops, which I sear separately so they develop a beautiful golden crust while staying tender inside. I also streamlined the vegetables, replacing the carrots with crisp-tender greens such as Chinese broccoli or asparagus and snow peas. The idea was to keep the vegetables fresh and relatively restrained so they wouldn’t compete with the sweetness of the scallops or the concentrated umami of the XO sauce. Rather than tossing the scallops through the noodles, I arrange them on top when serving. It makes for a prettier presentation and, more importantly, lets the scallops remain the star of the dish.
I also kept the Cantonese flavor profile of the original recipe, including Shaoxing wine, ginger, garlic, shiitakes, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The Shaoxing wine adds a subtle depth and helps lift the browned bits and aromatics from the wok. I use the XO sauce more as a concentrated seasoning than as a heavy sauce, allowing it to coat the noodles and vegetables without making them overly wet. The result is a dish that keeps what I loved about the original recipe – chewy noodles, earthy mushrooms, crisp vegetables, and intensely savory XO sauce, but swaps the richness and crunch of pork for sweet, beautifully seared scallops.
XO Noodles with Seared Scallops
Ingredients
Scallops
- 1¼ pounds large sea scallops about 10-12
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
Noodles
- 14 oz Thai Kitchen Stir-Fry Rice Noodles
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil for tossing
Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 5 oz shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups napa cabbage cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger finely minced or julienned
- 4 scallions whites and greens separated
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Sauce
- 5 tablespoons XO sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- White pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare scallops: Pat the scallops very dry and remove the side muscles if present. Set aside on a plate.
- Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the Thai Kitchen Stir-Fry Rice Noodles and let stand 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but firm. Drain well and immediately toss with the neutral oil to prevent sticking. Set aside. Even with the oil, you may need to toss or run your fingers through the noodles intermittently to keep them from sticking together.
- Stir-fry the vegetables: Add the oil to a heated, smoking wok and stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook 2 minutes. Add the Napa cabbage and stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas and cook 1 minute more. Add the Shaoxing wine, lower the heat, and simmer until nearly evaporated.
- Heat cast iron: Start heating the cast iron skillet for the scallops on another burner on high heat, while finishing with the OK sauce in the wok.
- Bloom the XO sauce: Push the vegetables to the sides of the wok. Add the XO sauce directly to the center and stir for 30-45 seconds until fragrant. Mix with the vegetables, then remove from heat.
- Sear the scallops: Lightly season with salt. When the cast iron skillet is smoking, add the oil. Add the scallops and sear without moving for about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook another 1-2 minutes until just opaque in the center. Transfer to a plate immediately.
- Finish: Add the cooked noodles, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper, and toss over high heat for 1-2 minutes until everything is evenly coated. Turn off the heat and drizzle with sesame oil.
- Plate: Using tongs, place the noodles and vegetables into bowls. Arrange the scallops neatly on top. Garnish with sliced scallion greens. Optional garnish: fried shallots.
Notes
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