Carrot and Feta Salad with Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

Happy Valentine’s Day, Everyone! Do you remember a few weeks ago from Tybee, we did Surf and Turf ? A perfect Valentine’s dinner for two. For today’s Sunday Supper, I want to expand on that meal with a fresh and crunchy Carrot Salad with Feta and Bacon-Wrapped Scallops. The fresh crunch of the Carrot Salad goes beautifully with the buttery richness of any of the three: Surf and Turf and/or Bacon-Wrapped scallops. Let’s get to these quick and simple recipes!

Carrot Salad

Both of these dishes come together pretty quick, so I started with the salad dressing and the carrots. Then I mixed it together with the feta and pistachios while the scallops were baking. So you can prep the salad; then wrap your scallops in bacon; then mix the salad and melt the garlic butter for scallops. You can get it on the table while the scallops are still sizzling hot!

This is a citrusy dressing with orange juice and zest, champagne vinegar, honey and olive oil. I have Cara Cara oranges which are super sweet and have a pink color. You can use your favorite orange. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and cut your carrots in ribbons. I have some multicolor carrots, but if you can only find orange carrots, that’s totally fine!

The other ingredients for this salad include 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint, 1/4 cup crumbled feta and 1/4 cup toasted pistachios. Measure out those ingredients and set them aside. Cut the carrots right into the bowl with the whisked dressing and toss to coat the carrot ribbons, then set aside. Let’s move on to the scallops.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

These little guys were the largest scallops I could find so I sliced my bacon slices in half. This way the ratio of bacon to scallop is more even. I have about one pound of scallops, which yielded 28 scallops. Have a parchment-lined sheet tray to the side and I have some toothpicks on standby. You can certainly toothpick all of them, but I will only secure the ones that don’t have a tight roll. Before you get going, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

The bacon will add fat and salt to the scallops, so I am not adding anything to these before they hit the oven. We will melt half a stick of salted butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, juice from half a lemon and a tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley in a saucepan to pour over the scallops when they come out of the oven.

Bake the scallops for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is browning and sizzling. The scallops will be done before the bacon, so no worries on whether the scallops are done. As long as the bacon is cooked through and browning, the scallops will be perfect.

While the scallops are baking, If your pistachios are raw, toast them in a dry skillet just until they become fragrant. Combine the feta, mint and pistachios with the carrots and dressing and toss with your hands. Transfer the carrot salad to a serving dish.

When the scallops come out, remove the toothpicks and transfer them (carefully, they’re hot!) to a serving dish. Drizzle the melted butter mixture over the scallops and give them a few cranks of fresh cracked black pepper.

Carrot and Feta Salad with Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

As I mentioned at the top, either or both of these dishes are great sides that would be a great accompaniment to a Surf and Turf dinner. But they are also great together, as a stand alone meal! A quick and easy Sunday Supper. What are your plans today? Will you be making a Valentine’s Day dinner, or perhaps ordering takeout from your favorite restaurant? Let me know how you plan to celebrate (or if you plan to celebrate) Valentine’s Day. Thanks everyone for joining me me today, reach out on facebook or Instagram and pin the recipes to Pinterest to share and save for later! Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Carrot and Feta Salad with Bacon-Wrapped Scallops

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

Dinner, Main Course, Appetizer – American

By Adapted from Eating Well – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes – Total Time: 35-40 Minutes

Carrot ribbons dressed in a citrusy vinaigrette with salty feta and toasted pistachios add a fresh, crunchy counterpart to the buttery richness of bacon wrapped scallops, drizzled with a garlicky butter sauce.

Ingredients

• Carrot Salad
• 1/2 tsp. Orange Zest, grated
• 2 tbsp. Orange Juice
• 2 tbsp. Champagne Vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp. Honey
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 lb. Carrots, cut into ribbons
• 1/4 cup Feta, crumbled
• 1/4 cup Fresh Mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup Pistachios, toasted
• Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Butter Sauce
• 1 lb. Medium-sized Scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 lb. package Bacon, strips cut in half
• 1/2 Stick Salted Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• Fresh cracked Black Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Carrot Salad

1

Whisk orange juice, zest, vinegar, salt, pepper, honey and olive oil in a large bowl until well combined.

2

Using a vegetable peeler, cut the carrots into long ribbons and toss to combine with dressing.

3

If using raw pistachios, lightly toast in a dry skillet until the pistachios are fragrant.

4

Add mint, feta and pistachios, to carrots and dressing, toss to combine.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Butter Sauce

5

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

6

Wrap each scallop in a halved strip of bacon, secure with a toothpick if needed.

7

Place bacon-wrapped scallops on a parchment-lined sheet tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon is cooked through and browning.

8

While scallops are baking, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in lemon juice, garlic and parsley. Let the butter get bubbly, but remove from heat before it browns.

9

When scallops come out of the oven, remove any toothpicks and transfer scallops to a serving dish.

10

Drizzle scallops with the melted butter sauce and top with fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.