Cringey Kitchen

Gluten free, dairy free things in the shape of food

Seared Scallop and Kale

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Sometimes, when I need inspiration for a new dish, I go back and look at the menus of my favorite restaurants. I’ve previously created a few dishes inspired by Black Bottle in Seattle and now they’ve inspired me again for this recipe. This is my take on their bacon wrapped scallop dish.

The key to getting a good sear on anything is to pat it dry. I pat the scallops dry, before I season them with salt and pepper. We just want to enhance the flavor of the scallop, not mask it, so salt and pepper is all you need.

After I season the scallops. I let them sit out while preparing the other ingredients. They will cook more evenly at room temperature.

When searing the scallops, do not touch them! The scallops should easily come off the pan when they’re ready to flip. I recommend using a cast iron skillet if you have one. If you keep moving the scallops around, you won’t get that nice golden crust. You have to exercise some patience with these little guys.

Keep your scallop on your kale, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T

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Seared Scallop and Kale

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • 3 slices bacon diced
  • 6 colossal scallops
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts
  • 4 cups curly kale chopped
  • Lemon

Instructions

  1. Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of the scallop liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  2. Heat up a pan over medium heat. Add bacon to the pan and cook until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set on a paper towel lined plate. Leave the bacon fat in the pan, we will use it to sear the scallops.
  3. Turn the pan up to medium high heat and place scallops in the pan. Sear for 2 minutes untouched. The scallops should have a nice brown crust before you flip it and sear it on the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove scallops from the pan and set aside.
  4. Add pine nuts to the hot pan and toast for about a minute. The pine nuts should be lightly toasted. Remove pine nuts from the pan and set aside.
  5. Finally add your kale to the hot pan. Saute kale for 2 minutes until just cooked.
  6. To plate, lay down kale in a bowl, top with the toasted pine nuts and crispy bacon. Place a scallop on top of the kale. Zest the lemon over the scallop and squeeze some lemon juice on top before serving.