Seared Scallops over Bacon and Spinach Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Savory umami tastes from the scallops and bacon lay the foundation for this dish, which delivers apple flavor in three layers.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1  cup  apple cider
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 4  slices center-cut bacon
• 1/4  cup  chopped shallots
• 1  tablespoon  cider vinegar
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  cups  thinly sliced Granny Smith apple (about 1)
• 1/3  cup  thinly sliced red onion
• 1  (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
• 1/4  teaspoon  curry powder
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 20  sea scallops (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil

Preparation

1. Combine cider and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 9 minutes). Remove from heat.

2. Cook bacon in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan; set bacon aside. Add chopped shallots to drippings in pan; sauté 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in cider mixture, cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.

3. Crumble reserved bacon. Combine bacon, Granny Smith apple, onion, and spinach in a large bowl.

4. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, curry powder, and red pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle salt mixture evenly over both sides of scallops. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.

5. Drizzle cider mixture over spinach mixture; toss gently to coat. Place about 2 1/2 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 5 scallops.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

298 (21% from fat)

Fat:

7g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.1g)

Protein:

32.1g

Carbohydrate:

26.7g

Fiber:

3.3g

Cholesterol:

63mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

921mg

Calcium:

81mg