Scallop Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.
Seared sea scallops served overtop crispy green leaf lettuce, crunchy bacon, white beans – all drizzled with a warm bacon vinaigrette. This is the salad to top all salads.
Thanks to my friends at Little Leaf Farms for sponsoring this post and thanks to you, my readers, for supporting brands that help keep Jenny Shea Rawn running. As always, all opinions are my own.
Sea Scallops – do you love them as much as we do?
Sea scallops are one of the true treasures of the sea. They’re tender, slightly sweet, rich, delicate and just so very delicious. Seared is probably our favorite way to enjoy scallops, although in the colder weather months, baked scallops are also delicious. And, one of the best things about scallops is that they cook in mere minutes.
What’s in this hearty Scallop Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette?
- Yep, the scallops!
- Little Leaf Farms Crispy Green Leaf lettuce (the besssst lettuce)
- White beans
- Crispy bacon
- Croutons – homemade or store-bought
- And … the winning ingredient … WARM bacon vinaigrette. This vinaigrette is sweet, savory and just ridiculously delicious. In fact, I was eating it by the spoonful. It’s the perfect complement to the scallops.
How do you make the warm bacon vinaigrette? Is it complicated?
Nope! It’s pretty darn easy. You cook 5 strips of bacon until crispy. Then, set the bacon aside and add minced shallot to the warm bacon fat, cooking it for a minute or two. Then, you’ll add in the apple cider vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat, stir in brown sugar and mustard and heat 1-2 more minutes until the dressing reduces and thickens a bit. Then, remove from heat and stir in olive oil, salt and pepper. You’ll whisk the dressing again before drizzling over the salad.
Eat this salad right away.
This is a salad you’ll want to make and eat right away. Why? Because scallops are best when they are straight off the pan. And the warm bacon vinaigrette is best, well, you guessed it, when it’s warm.
Little Leaf Farms lettuce is the perfect lettuce for this salad. It’s curly, so crisp and always fresh. And, those little curls, collect drops of the warm bacon vinaigrette – just dreamy!
Tell me more about Little Leaf Farms Lettuce!
Little Leaf Farms lettuce is greenhouse grown locally in Devens, MA. Their lettuce is grown year-round, so we can eat it year-round – in New England, few things grow year-round, so this is a very good thing. The lettuce is picked one day (using automation – human hands never touch it) and in your local grocery store the next day – it’s only delivered to stores within a day’s drive.
Little Leaf Farms lettuce is grown hydroponically to protect topsoil. They use 100% captured rainwater to grow their non GMO lettuce and no pesticides or chemicals are used (that means no chlorine baths). The lettuce tastes good, it does good and it’s good for you.
Use their store finder to see which stores near you carry their products.
Here’s how to make this Scallop Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette:
Scallop Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette
- 5 slices smoked uncured bacon
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 2 4-ounce containers Little Leaf Farms crispy green leaf lettuce
- 1 15.5 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup homemade or storebought croutons
- 1 lb fresh sea scallops tough side muscle removed, patted very dry
- 1 teaspoon sunflower oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving
- 1 teaspoon fresh chives, sliced optional
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
For the vinaigrette
- Add bacon to a skillet over medium heat and cook until crispy, turning every few minutes. Remove bacon and place on paper towels. Add shallot to the bacon fat and cook 1-2 minutes until softened and beginning to brown, stirring constantly. Add apple cider vinegar, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add brown sugar and mustard. Heat 1-2 more minutes until dressing is reduced slightly. Remove from heat. Stir in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour hot dressing into a heat-safe bowl or jar. Set aside.
For the salad
- Crumble the bacon slices. Add Little Leaf Farms crispy green leaf lettuce to 4 bowls. Top with white beans, croutons and crumbled bacon.
- Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Add oil and butter to the skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add scallops (don’t crowd them). Sear scallops for 1-2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook 1-2 more minutes until scallops are just barely opaque. Remove from pan and place atop salads.
- Whisk vinaigrette then pour over salads. Sprinkle salads with chives. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
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