Ingredients:
- 12 jumbo sea scallops
- 3 slices bacon, cooked, drained and chopped. Save 2 Tbsp bacon fat
- 12 oz baby spinach
- 8 cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbsp J. Olive Co. EVOO
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 3/4 c apple cider
- 3 Tbsp J. Olive Co. Red Apple Balsamic
- 1 Tbsp honey
Directions:
- Pat scallops dry and season with salt & pepper, set aside. Whisk apple cider, balsamic and honey together and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan, sauté mushrooms and crumbled bacon in bacon fat and 1 T olive oil over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Turn off burner but leave pan on stove.
- Heat a cast iron skillet on stovetop. Add 1 T olive oil and once it is hot, add scallops. Sear 2 minutes per side, flipping once only. Temporarily remove scallops from skillet and set aside.
- Add cider mixture to cast iron skillet, scraping bottom of pan to deglaze. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow sauce to thicken. Place scallops to skillet to warm in cider sauce for a few minutes.
- While reheating scallops, turn heat back on under sauté pan containing bacon and mushrooms. Place spinach in pan and toss gently to coat in oil. Cover pan for a minute or two, to wilt spinach, stirring once. Remove from heat, divide onto plates.
- Place 3 scallops on each bed of spinach and drizzle with cider sauce. Serve immediately.
Recipe and image courtesy of Saratoga Olive Oil Co.