Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

Last year when I was considering how my life would be without meat there was a very real vacancy gnawing at me constantly: bacon.  You see, bacon is glorious.  It is wonderful.  And if it is purchased properly and consumed within reason, it is OK to eat in my book.  Your body needs some fat, and if I'm going to justify eating it, I may as well have it with these beautiful, lean, protein-rich scallops and some spinach.  Also, consider the alternatives... tofurkey... to-bacon?  I just can't justify to myself buying an artificial "piece of meat" to fill my body that is filled with chemicals when I could be eating the real thing, raised healthy on a farm nearby.

The key to this simple but delightful recipe is to pre-cook the bacon until it is just underdone.  Scallops only need a couple of minutes per side to cook, so if the bacon is raw the whole thing will just not work. Ian is in charge of the bacon in this house, so he cooked it until it was almost done.

The scallops I bought came from Dirk's Fish Shop.  I absolutely love this place.  It is a sustainable fish shop and there are labels on all of the fish explaining where they came from and which choices are more sustainable.  I know that scallops are more expensive, but we only ate a total of four for two people.  It is pure protein and you don't need a lot to fill up.  He also won't sell fish like shark or Big Eye Tuna because of how overfished they are.  I really suggest checking him out if you are in Chicago!  Everyone is friendly and it's a lot of fun to go shopping there.

All you have to do after you have washed the scallops and pulled the little muscle off is wrap them in bacon and either broil them or saute them for several minutes on each side.  Before they are done they are kind of translucent and once they are prepared they are a rich milky white.  Yum.  Serve with a side of cooked spinach or some other lovely green that you can find at the market!

Squeeze both the spinach and scallops generously with a lemon when they are done.  It brightens the flavor and brings everything together wonderfully!

I can't wait to keep posting about things that have been happening lately.  On Saturday I attended the Good Food Festival which was incredible!  I met amazing people from Peterson's Garden Project, the Local Beet, Chicago Foodies, and decided on my CSA this year, Big Head Farm.  All of the vendors there sold incredible products and I feel very inspired to continue eating locally and making my own food, despite the many challenges I am facing.  Who else is ready for spring?!