One of the things I love about being a blogger is that every now and then, I’m asked to try out a product and give my opinions. Often, I turn down the experience, but this time…it involved SCALLOPS…and BACON!
Chef Craig Flinn, of Halifax’s famed 2 Doors Down and Chives, was one of the chefs chosen from across Canada and challenged by President’s Choice to create a regionally inspired burger for the Summer BBQ season.
Craig created the “Fog Buster Scallop Bacon Burger” and it does not disappoint!
SCALLOPS AND BACON PEOPLE!
Last week, Spider-Man and I pulled out all of the ingredients, and got to work making an absolutely delicious burger that really wasn’t tough to make! (I’m not the best in the kitchen…and I could pull it off!
- 1 250g tub PC® Spreadable Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese, softened
- ½ cup PC® Smokey Bacon Mayo (HOLY CRAP YUMMY!)
- 1 tsp PC® Ancho Chipotle Smokey Pepper Sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp PC® Sweet Green Relish
- 2 tsp PC® Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill (optional)
- 1¼ lbs (approximately 16 to 20 each) PC® Blue Menu® Sustainably Sourced Wild Nova Scotian Frozen Jumbo Sea Scallops
- 3 tbsp flour
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup PC® black label Panko Japanese-style Breadcrumbs
- 3 tbsp PC® Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany
For the final assembly:
- 8 slices PC® Naturally Smoked Bacon rounds (ROUND BACON…perfectly fitted on your bun with this wee little candied crunch that had me purchasing it not one more time since I made this recipe but TWICE!)
- 1 cup PC® Organics baby arugula
- 4 each PC® Hawaiian Sweet Buns
- In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, smokey bacon mayo, chipotle pepper sauce, lemon juice, relish, Dijon mustard and dill and mix well…then stick in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the burgers.
- Thaw the scallops overnight in the refrigerator and pat dry with clean paper towels. (Or place the entire plastic bag in a sink of lukewarm water for a few minutes like I did, then use old Christmas napkins to do the same thing!)
- Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl then dip each scallop in until it’s covered on all sides. Place the beaten eggs in a second bowl and dip each scallop in the egg. Then, toss each egg-dipped scallop in a third bowl containing the Panko breadcrumbs. (I made Spider-Man do all of these parts because he’s got a part-time job at the Battered Fish and…you know…I wanted to see all his new-found skills at work…plus, eggs and flour and Panko and sticky mess on my fingers and blech!)
- Using the side burner of your barbecue (or in my case, the burner on the stove because IT WAS FREEZING OUT), heat a non-stick frying pan and add the olive oil. Fry the scallops for 3 or 4 minutes per side over high heat until golden brown and crispy. Once completely cooked, remove the scallops from the oil and rest on a plate lined with paper towels (read: Christmas napkins). Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Grill (cook) the round bacon slices until crispy (about 3 minutes per side).
- Toast the buns.
- Spread 1 tbsp of the cream cheese tartar sauce on the bun, add a few arugula leaves, add 4 or 5 crispy sea scallops, cover with 2 pieces of bacon rounds, load the top of the bun up with another spoon full of tartar sauce…place on top of the entire thing and DO YOUR THING!
Disclaimer: I was provided with the ingredients to make this recipe courtesy of President’s Choice. The opinions are totally my own.
Sponsored or not, this sounds scrumptious!
Seriously!
YOU did a good job sharing this and I hope PC/Loblaws appreciates it!