I haven’t had a sauce I fell in love with in a long time. Not only does this go well with scallops it was fantastic on steak! It sounds a little odd using bacon grease, but trust me it comes with tons of flavor and blends beautifully. We grilled our scallops to give it a nice smokey flavor, but pan frying directions are below which will give you a nice even sear.
Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Cream Sauce
(Adapted from Cake and Knife)
6 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1/2 tsp olive oil
6 large scallops
Salt & pepper
Chopped chives for garnish
In a medium skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add butter, cream, and Parmesan to the skillet with the bacon grease. Reduce the sauce over medium heat by half.
Stir in the cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.
In a separate skillet, heat 1/2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot (make sure it’s really hot!), add the scallops to the pan. Sear until golden brown on one side, approximately 1 minute, and turn over. Sear on the other side for 1 minute until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Serve the scallops over a layer of bacon cream sauce. Garnish with chives.
