Perfectly Seared Scallops with Corn, Bacon, and Kale Pesto

These perfectly seared scallops with corn, bacon, and kale pesto are the perfect dinner for any night of the week! Crave worthy, elegant, and OH-SO-DELICIOUS! Gluten free & ready in less than 30 minutes!

Okaaay y’all! Let’s get down to business because I’m so ready to talk about these scallops.

They are everything you could ever want from an easy + stunning + elegant (but EASY!) dinner and I cannot WAIT for you to try them.

Also – we’re going to talk about how truly simple it is to make PERFECTLY pan seared scallops. Because they are literally my favorite & they for sure have a reputation of being difficult to make. But when you know the steps I swear it could not be easier.

Like so easy this dish can LEGIT be ready in 30 minutes – pesto, corn + bacon, scallops and ALL. The whole (delicious) kit and caboodle.

So let’s get down to perfectly seared scallop making business!

Perfectly seared scallops with bacon and kale pesto ingredients

First things first let’s talk ingredients.

This dish is made in a few simple parts.

1. Kale and parsley pesto.
2. Bacon and corn sauté
3. Perfectly seared scallops

The kale pesto is made with:

• Kale – Any type of green kale works great – purple kale would also work but it would change the color of the pesto.
• Parsley
• Roasted almonds – Use smoked almonds for bonus flavor points!
• Garlic
• Lemon juice
• Salt + Pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes – Can leave out if spice isn’t your thing.
• Olive oil

The bacon and corn sauté is made with:

• Bacon
• Corn – fresh or frozen

The perfectly seared scallops are made with:

• Sea scallops
• Salt + Pepper
• Avocado oil for cooking

Scallops are arguably one of our favorite types of seafood. But they can be quite expensive to order out at a restaurant, and if they’re not prepared well, SO disappointing. Which is why we often make them at home when we’re craving them!

And here’s how you do it.

How to make perfectly seared scallops with bacon and kale pesto

First things first, take your scallops out of the refrigerator to let them sit at room temperature while you make the pesto and prep the other ingredients. Because they cook so quickly, this step will ensure that they cook evenly.

To make the kale pesto

This step is pretty straightforward. Add all of the pesto ingredients to your food processor and process until mostly smooth – with a little texture remaining. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. You can thin it to your desired consistency with a little extra olive oil if you want.

(Likely you’ll have more pesto than you need for this recipe. The extra will store well in the refrigerator for up to a week and is delicious with pasta, stirred into mashed potatoes, or served alongside another type of protein.)

Set the pesto aside and move onto prepping the corn and bacon sauté.

To make the corn and bacon sauté

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees, and then turn off (the oven is only warmed to keep the corn and bacon warm while the scallops cook).

Dice bacon into small pieces. Have corn ready in a measuring cup. Heat a skillet (cast iron or non stick is my preference) over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until bacon is done to your liking.

Add corn, and continue to cook another 2 minutes or so, until corn is thawed and bright yellow. Remove bacon and corn from the skillet using a slotted spoon into an oven safe container, leaving as much of the bacon grease behind as possible. Season to taste with salt and move to the oven to keep warm.

All about scallops

Before we get into how to make the scallops, let’s cover a little bit of basic scallop info.

There are two main types of scallops that you’ll see in the seafood department at the store:

• Sea scallops – Or weathervane scallops, which are the large scallops that I use in this recipe. They are large, sweet, and meaty.
• Bay scallops – A much smaller scallop that is a bit more tender in texture.

For this recipe, try and find sea scallops if you can.

There’s also 2 types of sea scallops:

• Dry packed sea scallops
• Wet packed sea scallops

Dry packed sea scallops are much more of a rare find at the grocery store (and a bit more expensive), but if you see them and can afford the splurge, definitely go for it. Because they’re packed dry they get that nice brown sear much more easily.

If you can’t find dry scallops, wet packed scallops are also fine – just make sure you dry them very well before adding to the hot pan.

To perfectly sear the scallops

Okay so here’s the deal on how to get the most perfectly seared scallops at home.

First things first, make sure they are VERY dry. If they’re not dry when cooked they won’t brown. Start by quickly rinsing them off and then place on a cutting board or plate lined with paper towels and pat super dry with. more paper towels. Season them generously with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat a sturdy skillet over medium high heat with some avocado oil until it’s smoking. To get a nice sear your pan needs to be really REALLY hot before adding the scallops.

When oil is nice and hot, add the scallops to the pan, being careful not to crowd them too close together. 

Cook, about 2-3 minutes per side, until they’re golden brown and they release easily from the pan. Remove from the pan and set aside to avoid over cooking. 

To serve, spoon some of the kale pesto onto a large plate, top with bacon corn sauté and then the scallops.

BOOM! Done and done. Time to dig in!

I hope you guys love these perfectly seared scallops with kale pesto as much as we do!

These scallops are:

• Easy to make
• Elegant + totally delicious
• As good as any restaurant dish
• Savory
• Satisfying

A few notes on the recipe

• If you can’t find high quality scallops, you could easily substitute shrimp or another type of fish.
• Another type of pesto may be substituted for the kale pesto – this pistachio basil pesto would be a delicious option!
• To make this recipe nut free substitute the almonds in the pesto for sunflower seeds.
• If you’re pescatarian, leave out the bacon and simply sauté the corn in a little bit of your fat of choice.
• For a paleo option substitute the corn with baby spinach, broccolini, or green beans.
• Most likely you’ll have extra kale and parsley pesto. Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week and serve with pasta, potatoes, or another cooked protein.

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