25. APPLEWOOD-SMOKED BACON-WRAPPED SCALLOPS with TAMARI GLAZE

makes 24 skewers


TAMARI GLAZE:
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

8 strips applewood-smoked bacon, stacked and cut into 3- to 4-inch pieces (see note)
24 medium sea scallops (about 1 lb), or 12 large sea scallops, cut in half vertically
1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
freshly ground pepper to taste
24 sturdy 3-inch rosemary sprigs (strip the leaves from the bottom inch of each sprig)

TO MAKE THE TAMARI GLAZE: Combine the tamari, maple syrup, and lime juice in a small saucepan. Boil over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thick, syrupy, and reduced by half, 5-7 minutes. Keep a very close eye on this, to avoid burning. Remove from heat.

TO ASSEMBLE: Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lay several pieces of bacon at a time, vertically, on a work surface. Place a scallop flat-side down on the base of each bacon strip and place 3 or 4 rosemary leaves on top of each scallop. Wrap with the bacon and place seam-side down on the prepared pan. Repeat the process until all of the scallops have been wrapped. Liberally season each bacon-wrapped scallop with peppers.

Broil the scallops about 5 inches from the heat source until the bacon is partially crisp and brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep a close eye on the scallops to avoid burning the bacon, as each oven cooks differently.) Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Brush the scallops with tamari glaze and skewer each one, from the top, with a rosemary sprig. Serve hot.

DO-AHEAD TIPS: The scallops can be wrapped with bacon and refrigerated, uncooked, up to 1 day in advance. Cook and serve as directed.

NOTE: The bacon should be cut according to the size of the scallops. It should barely overlap each scallop or scallop half. Try wrapping 1 strip of bacon around a scallop to measure the correct length of bacon (about 3-4 inches) before cutting all the bacon strip.


courtesy of: Skewer It by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. San Francisco: Chronicle, 2000, p. 30