Recipe
6 jumbo sized fresh scallops
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of hot paprika
2 slices of back
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated garlic
a handful spears of asparagus
1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of chopped cilantro for garnishing
Directions
Rinse and pat dry with paper towels your scallops. It is very important that you rinse your scallops before using. If you skip this step you will have a bite or two of grittiness.
Season scallops with sat, black pepper, zest of lemon and paprika. Set aside.
Bring to a boil a small pot of water. Add the asparagus for 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus and submerge it in an ice bath. Leave until ready to use.
Chop the bacon into small pieces. Add to it to a hot skillet to fry until crispy. Remove bacon pieces from skillet and drain on a paper towel.
Add the scallops to the hot bacon grease. Do not turn the bacon for 60 seconds. This will allow it to sear on one side. Flip and sear on the other side for 1 minute 30 seconds.
Remove the scallops and keep warm until ready to use.
Using a paper towel see if you can mop up some of the brown, dark bits from the skillet. Be careful as it will be hot.
Add two tablespoons of butter to the pan. Add the crushed garlic to the butter. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Once the chicken stock has reduced by half, add the asparagus, chili flakes, juice of lemon and bacon pieces.
Let this sauté for about a minute again. Once the sauce starts to reduce more, remove it from the heat.
Pour the sauce over the scallops and garnish with chopped cilantro.
