Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  4             slices  naturally smoked bacon
  1                     red bell pepper -- seeded, cut into
  1               inch  cubes
  2        tablespoons  vegetable oil
  24             large  scallops
  12            ounces  baby spinach
  4        tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
  1           teaspoon  sugar

Preparation:

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Crumble bacon. Heat bacon drippings in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Heat oil in another large skillet over high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook scallops until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Tent with foil to keep warm. Be sure bacon drippings are warm but not hot. Carefully add vinegar and sugar. Rewarm over low heat until hot. Pour mixture over spinach. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide spinach among 4 plates. Top each salad with scallops. Sprinkle with bacon and serve. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Makes: 4 servings This combination of rich scallops with a salty dressing on softly wilted spinach is sensational. If you can find frisee, a curly-leafed slightly bitter green, use it in place of or in addition to the spinach.

Nutritional Information:

510 Calories (kcal); 29g Total Fat; (51% calories from fat); 41g Protein; 21g Carbohydrate; 79mg Cholesterol; 389mg Sodium