Ingredients
- 6 fresh scallops
- 8 ounces baby spinach, washed, dried and stems removed
- 7 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Dash of salt
- Splash of red wine vinegar, if you have it
- 1 small shallot, sliced
- Goat cheese, for topping (optional)
- Quartered cherry tomatoes (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- Lawry’s Salt
- Pepper
Directions
For the warm bacon dressing:
- Fry bacon until crispy over medium high heat. Remove to a paper towel and pat to dry. Remove 3 tablespoons grease and set aside.
- Add 3 tablespoons (or, whatever you end up with, really) of the reserved bacon fat, vinegar, sugar, Dijon and salt to the same saucepan or skillet, but over medium-low heat. Whisk together and heat thoroughly until bubbly. Note: it’s going to smell very strongly like vinegar. Keep cooking it and it’ll die down and taste delicious!
For the pan-seared scallops:
- Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Heat a 10- or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, or for about 5 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Pat the scallops dry once more and put them in the pan in a single, uncrowded layer. Season with salt and pepper and let them sear undisturbed until one side is browned, about 2 ½ minutes. Using tongs, turn the scallops over and sear until the second side is well browned and the scallops are almost firm to the touch, about 2 ½ or 3 minutes.
- Once both sides are browned, remove from pan and set on a separate plate. Do not let scallops become too hard to the touch; they will be overdone and taste tough. Adjust searing times as needed.
- Pour bacon dressing over spinach and toss together with bacon, shallot, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and walnuts. Season with Lawry’s Salt and pepper. Top with scallops and enjoy!
