Scallop and Citrus Salad

It's amazing what a few beautifully seared scallops can do for a dish.  My orange, avocado and fennel salad gets a serious boost from this elegant mollusk.  Fancy enough for entertaining, light, bursting with flavor and all ready in less than 20 minutes. Now that's my kind of food!

For the *dressing:

2T. pomegranate molasses (if you can't find this, fresh orange or lemon juice will be delicious too )

4 T. olive oil

1t. agave nectar or honey

1t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground fennel

salt/pepper

For the salad:

sea scallops - 3 per person

olive oil

salt/pepper

16 oz. mixed greens (I used a spring lettuce and spinach mix, but arugula would be fantastic too)

2 oranges, supremed (go here for a video on supreming citrus)

1 avocado diced into large chunks

1 fennel bulb halved, core removed and sliced thinly lengthwise

Mix all ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar (or any jar with a tight fitting lid) and shake it up to combine.  Season to your taste preferences and set aside. *NOTE there will be extra dressing, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Pull scallops out of the fridge and let rest for 15-20 min at room temperature and season with salt and pepper (this step is important in browning the scallops).

Using a large bowl place a small amount of salad dressing in the bottom, about 2-3T. Add greens, oranges, avocado, and fennel to the bowl toss together, (your clean hands are the perfect utensil for this).  Everything should be lightly coated with dressing.  Mound salad on individual plates.

Using a nonstick skillet set heat to high and add 1T. olive oil.  When pan is hot add scallops, making sure not to crowd them.  Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes and well browned. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Place scallops on top of mixed salad and serve the extra salad dressing on the side