*Spicy Seared Scallop Salad*

This salad was one of my favorite salads I have made in quite some time!  The scallops were bursting with flavor & changed things up a bit from the typical grilled chicken.

Make sure to have your ventahood blasting.  Unfortunately we don't have one & when I placed the scallops in the skillet it got a little smokier than usual.  But, they still turned out great!  

At first glance, it looks like there are quite a few ingredients & it could get pricey...but, if you cook often you probably have most of these ingredients on hand.

If you don't like spicy, I definitely recommend toning down the cayenne pepper in the spices for the scallops just a touch ;)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

12 oz. fresh sea scallops

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp light mayo

1 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

Pinch of cayenne pepper (for dressing)

salt & pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

spinach

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded & sliced

1 avocado, seeded & sliced

cherry tomatoes, sliced

slivered almonds, toasted (@ 350 for ~8 min)

Directions:

Rinse sea scallops and pat dry with a towel. In a small bowl, mix together the cayenne, black pepper and garlic salt. 

Gently roll the scallops in the spices. 

Heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Pour in the oil and heat until it just begins to smoke. 

Carefully place each scallop in the pan with scallops flat side down. Cook for ~2 minutes per side.

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, light mayo, Dijon mustard, cayenne, salt, pepper & garlic. 

Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Divide the fresh spinach evenly onto each plate.  Place the Avocado slices, red & yellow bell pepper slices, toasted almonds & tomato slices onto the salad.

When the scallops are done, evenly place them on the salads. 

Drizzle each salad with your dressing & serve.

Makes ~2 servings, possibly 3 but you might want to add a few more scallops!

 I served ours w/baked whole wheat bread.

Make sure to have a big glass of ice water handy!