Kris
EASYWAY SCALLOPS WITH FENNEL,
MASCARPONE AND BACON   (Serves 4)

Suggested Side Dishes

  • Lemon Garlic Angel Hair Pasta
  • Mixed Baby Green Salad with Grapes and White Balsamic Vinaigrette and Shaved Parmesan

Ingredients

  • 12 extra large sea scallops
  • 2 fennel bulbs with feathery tops
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • Salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
In a large saucepan, boil water for blanching. Clean the fennel bulbs. Save the feathery tops and chop most of them, but save a few whole ones for garnish.

Halve and slice the fennel bulbs. Blanch the slices in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Allow them to soften, then drain.

Preheat the broiler. Place the fennel on a broiling pan that you have covered with aluminum foil. Season with salt and pepper. Dot the fennel with the mascarpone.

Cook the bacon in a large frying pan until very crispy. Keep the bacon drippings for the scallops. Drain the bacon on paper towels and crumble into a small bowl.

Place the fennel under the broiler for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the fennel is lightly browned.

Add the butter to the bacon drippings. Pat the scallops dry and add them to the drippings.

Season lightly with salt.

Sauté the scallops on each side for about 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through.

Place the fennel and cheese on a platter. Arrange the scallops on top of the fennel and sprinkle the crumbled bacon bits over the top. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of the feathery fennel tops over the top of the scallops.

Garnish with the whole feathery tops of the fennel bulb.

Serve immediately.

Helpful Hints

Buy very large scallops, if you cannot find them you will have to buy more to feed four people.

When you blanch the fennel, make sure it is soft but not mushy. 3 minutes should really do it. Remember, it cooks again under the broiler. Sometimes the fennel bulbs have large feathery tops. You only need to chop up about 2 tablespoons of them. Keep the rest of them whole to garnish on the platter. It looks really nice. Watch them when thy are under the broiler so they do not burn. They cook up quickly.

Make sure the bacon is very crispy even if you do not usually like it like that. It is supposed to be crumbled over the scallops and it won’t crumble if it is not crispy. Don’t overcook the scallops. They do not need a long tome in the pan.