Scallops with Corn & Tomato Succotash

Before you put the grill away for the season, chef Daniel Kenney offers up a season-bridging seafood & succotash combo that incorporates late-summer favorites — sweet corn and tomatoes — as well as fallish fennel-seasoned scallops, seared to perfection in a cast iron skillet. Boiling the corn cobs in heavy cream brings out the natural sweetness of both ingredients, which then get a salty, savory boost from the addition of applewood-smoked bacon.

Ingredients

2 ears sweet farm stand corn
1/2 cup Ligurian olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
2 ounces heavy cream
2 green onions
1/2 cup fresh fava beans
4 U10 size jumbo sea scallops - dry pack or diver
1 pinch fennel pollen
2 ounces apple wood-smoked bacon
1 bunch fresh chives
2 tablespoons micro greens
1 ripe tomato, diced

Directions

Begin by peeling the husk from the sweet corn, then season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the corn on a grill and lightly cook on all sides. Then remove all the corn kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.
Take the cleaned corn cobs and place them in a sauce pot with the heavy cream and begin to slowly heat. Infusing the corn flavor into the cream, slowly heat for about 20 minutes, then remove the cobs and add the shucked corn, sliced green onions and cleaned fava beans. Let sit in a warm area of the stove until ready to plate.
Season the scallops with salt, pepper and fennel pollen. Then bring a sauté pan to high heat. Add the olive oil and begin to sear the scallops on both sides until golden brown flesh and warm in the middle. Take the scallops out of the pan and then add the diced bacon. Sauté briefly until lightly rendered. Then add the corn cream mixture to the sauté pan with the bacon. Then plate with the scallops.
Using a blender, add the chives, olive oil and salt, and then let run on high speed until a bright green chive oil is infused. Strain through a cheese cloth, and drizzle on the scallops and succotash.
Garnish with micro greens and serve with the diced tomato on top.