(makes 4)
4 sea scallops
Salt and pepper
Wondra flour
1 head bok choi
1 small heirloom tomato
2 slices of bacon
Honey Mustard Glaze (recipe below)
Herb Mayonnaise (recipe below)
For the Honey Mustard Glaze:
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp brewed coffee
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl.
Arrange bacon on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Using a pastry brush, apply glaze to one side of the bacon. Cover with foil and weigh down using a second, smaller baking sheet or flat-bottomed oven safe pan.
Bake at 450° for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Cut into 1×1 inch pieces.
For the Herb Mayonnaise:
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp Dijon
1 cup Canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp cumin
Put egg yolk and Dijon into a medium sized bowl. Slowly whisk in oil until you have created an emulsion – don’t add the oil too fast, or the emulsion could break.
Add remaining ingredients to taste.
For the Bite:
Set a pot of water to boil on the stove for the bok choi. For this bite, it’s best to blanch the bok choi so that the leaves are softened and easier to work with.
Blanching the greens in salt water will also help retain their vibrant green color. We used large bok choi and removed the stems. The leaves only take a second to blanch – you want to keep a little crispness to them. Dip them into the boiling water, wait a second, and then put them straight into a bowl of ice water.
While the water is heating, prepare the bacon and bake.
In the meantime, cook the scallop. Heat a small pan on high heat. Oil pan with canola oil and heat until nearly smoking. Sprinkle scallop with salt and pepper, and dust the top of the scallop with a thin coating of Wondra flour. Sear the scallop on the floured side until golden brown, about a minute. Flip when golden and cook for another minute. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and baste the scallop to finish cooking and give it some extra buttery flavor. Let scallop rest for at least 30 seconds before cutting it in half.
When all the components are ready, assemble the bite. Halve the scallop and layer the bok choi, tomato and bacon. Slather top half of scallop with the herb mayo and serve