Seared pepper-crusted scallops and sautéed fiddleheads with warm lentil salad

I picked up a ton of fresh produce today at the farmer's market. At this time of year there aren't any locally grown items but it still seems more fun than buying it all at Safeway. Plus it made me think of summer, which is a nice thought to hang on to when the forecast for the holiday Monday is 4. And possibly snow.

This dish was inspired by the fiddleheads that I bought at the market (which, come to think of it, could possibly be local). I didn't have any recipe in mind when I bought them so the rest sort of came together based on other ingredients that I had available. OMG. The flavours, the textures, even the colours... all so good. It was absolutely delicious.

No, I'm serious.

Seared pepper-crusted scallops and sautéed fiddleheads with warm lentil salad

Warm lentil salad

4-5 slices bacon, diced
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely grated
1 1/2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 c Puy lentils

Sauté the bacon in a bit of olive oil until it is nearing crispy perfection, then add the shallot and garlic. Sauté until they almost start to brown. Add the carrot and let that cook a bit, then add the tomatoes and the green onions. Sauté for a while longer, marveling at the amount of bacon fat that is going to be in this dish. Add the lentils and just enough water to cover. Simmer until the lentils are done, adding more water if they start to dry. Once done, remove from heat and toss with some of the vinaigrette (below). Serve at warm to room temperature.

Mustard-y vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 c sherry vinegar
3/8 c olive oil

Combine all ingredients along with freshly ground pepper and sea salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Sautéed fiddlehead ferns with parsley and garlic

1 c fiddleheads
olive oil
1 garlic cloves, minced
Italian parsley, minced

Sauté the fiddleheads in the olive oil for several minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and sauté until the garlic is done. (The fiddleheads should still be quite firm.) Season with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.

Seared pepper-crusted scallops

Jumbo sea scallops
freshly ground black pepper (lots)
sea salt
olive oil

Season the scallops with a bit of sea salt and press each scallop into the pepper, ensuring that both sides are encrusted. Sear the scallops for a couple minutes on each side.

To assemble, spoon some lentil salad on a plate and partially cover with some of the sautéed fiddleheads. Top with the seared scallops.