Sautéed scallops with crispy pancetta and pea & mint puree

So this week I found some beautiful scallops at the store.  I just couldn't resist them.  I've made this dish before and I just love the combination of sweet scallops, salty pancetta or bacon and fresh minty peas.  Now I would never tell you to not buy fresh peas however I don't know anyone who has the time to shuck fresh peas and the frozen ones are just as yummy.  The pancetta can easily be substituted for bacon, in fact the last time I made this I used bacon and I loved it that way too!  I've made this as both an appetizer and a main course.  For an appetizer I would use 2-3 scallops per person and as a main I would use 5 scallops per person.  Scallops cook very fast so make sure you have all the other components ready before you start cooking them.  The pancetta pieces were fairly small so I used one per scallop.  With bacon I would cut it in half.

Scallops and pancetta

scallops
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
pancetta or bacon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place pancetta or bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in oven until crispy, about 10 minutes.  Check it every now and then as it can burn quickly.

Heat a skillet over medium-medium high heat with olive oil.  Lay scallops out on a paper towels and dry them really well, season with salt and pepper.  Once pan is really hot, almost smoking, place the scallops in the pan.  Once they are in the pan do not move them, this lets them get the browned crust.  If you move them around they will still cook but they will not get browned.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for another 2 minutes.

Scallops are also great on the grill or under the broiler!

Pea and mint puree

1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen peas
1 tbs fresh mint

Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Chop onion and add to the pan.  Cook until they begin to soften(5 min).  Chop garlic and add to the pan.  Cook for another 2 min.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the peas.  Cook until tender but still nice and green 5-7 min.  Put the pea mixture in the blender reserving about 1/2 cup of the liquid.  Add the mint and blend until nice and smooth.  Be careful as the mix is hot and hot stuff tries to jump out of blenders sometimes.  If the mix is too thick add a little more of the broth and blend again.  You can put this back in the pan to keep warm while you cook the scallops.