Scallops & Cashews in Tangerine Sauce

This is a Chinese restaurant classic translated for the home wok: tender bay scallops and golden-fried cashews tossed in a glossy tangerine-peel sauce. Once your prep is done, the entire stir-fry happens in 5 minutes. Speed is the whole game.

The tangerine peel is what sets this dish apart from generic stir-fries. Two teaspoons of grated tangerine peel adds a citrus oil aroma that cuts through the rich fried cashews and sweetens the savory base of oyster, tomato, and chili sauces. Dried Chinese tangerine peel works even better if you can find it.

The pre-frying of the cashews is the technique that makes them shine. Cooking them in oil over medium-high heat until just light golden, then draining, gives them the crispy, deep-flavored crunch that distinguishes restaurant cashew dishes from home versions where the nuts go soft in the sauce.

Pro Tips

• Have every ingredient ready before lighting the wok. Stir-frying is too fast to chop on the fly.
• Use bay scallops, not sea scallops. Sea scallops are too large and require longer cooking, which throws off the timing.
• Don’t overcook the scallops. One minute is enough. They continue cooking in the residual heat as the sauce comes together.
• Add the cornstarch slurry slowly. You can always add more, but you can’t fix gluey sauce.

Variations

• Substitute cubed firm tofu for scallops to make this vegetarian, as the recipe note suggests.
• Use orange peel if tangerines are out of season. The flavor is similar but slightly less aromatic.
• Add sliced bell peppers and snow peas for more color and vegetable variety, tossing them in just before the scallops.