Bacon Corn Relish Food

GRILLED SALMON WITH BACON AND CORN RELISH

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill (preferably charcoal) for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Place bacon in a skillet over medium heat and cook until browned and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cut kernels from corn ears into a large bowl using a sharp knife held at a 45-degree angle. Scrape cobs with the back of the knife into the bowl to get the juices.
• Stir white and light green parts of green onions into bacon and add red bell pepper; cook and stir until vegetables just start to become tender, about 2 minutes. Stir corn into bacon mixture and let corn just warm through. Season with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, a few chopped dark green onion tops, olive oil, and rice vinegar. Turn off heat under relish.
• Spread vegetable oil onto both sides of salmon fillets and season fish with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
• Cook on preheated grill until fish shows good grill marks, the flesh flakes easily, and fish is still slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. A crack that opens up in the salmon flesh as you cook will let you see how done the salmon is in the middle.
• Divide spinach leaves onto 2 plates and top each with a salmon fillet and half the bacon relish. Sprinkle on a few green onion tops for garnish.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH A CORN, BACON AND AVOCADO RELISH

Steps:

• Take a small bowl and place it upside-down inside a large bowl. (This will provide a small stand for your corn, making it easier to remove the kernels, and the large bowl will catch them as the fall, avoiding a mess.) Using a knife, remove the kernels from the corn, letting them fall into the bowl.
• Dice the onion and red bell pepper and add them to the bowl with the corn. Add 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
• Set a pan over medium heat and add some oil. Add the corn mixture to the pan and cook until the onions begin to soften, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Sprinkle the sea scallops with salt and pepper. Set a pan over medium-high heat and add some oil. Add the scallops and sear until golden in color, about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the heat and let rest.
• Dice the avocados and add them to the corn relish along with the chopped bacon. Season with salt and pepper and mix together.
• Evenly distribute the relish among 4 plates and top each with 4 scallops. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

CHARRED CORN WITH BACON LARDONS AND RED ONION

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Clean ears of corn and place on a baking sheet, then roast until the corn starts to char, about 25 minutes. Let cool, then cut off corn kernels and set aside.
• Add lardons to a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, then add the red onion and cook in the bacon fat. Sprinkle with salt, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the corn and season again. Turn off heat, add the basil and season again if necessary.
• Mix together the vinegar, oil and a pinch of salt. Toss with the corn.

BACON CRAB CAKES WITH PIMIENTO-CORN RELISH

Steps:

• Place a large saute pan over medium heat and cook the bacon until golden brown and crisp, 7 to 8 minutes total. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat in a dish and 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
• Return the pan to medium heat and add the celery, onion, corn and some salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar and pimientos to the pan and cook until the vinegar has reduced and the corn is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust the seasoning as needed and set the relish aside to cool.
• Place a large skillet over medium heat with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients for the crab cakes, along with the reserved crisp bacon, adjusting the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. Working in batches as needed, scoop out about 1/4 cup of mix for each crab cake and cook in the bacon fat, turning once, until golden brown and heated through, about 3 minutes per side.
• As batches finish cooking, reserve them on a plate; add more bacon fat to the pan as needed throughout cooking.
• Serve the warm crab cakes over warm or room temperature relish.