Between the bacon (around 200mg of sodium per slice) and the scallops (over 330mg per 3 ounces), the classic dish is too salty for me to enjoy. But when the bacon is replaced with smoky zucchini ribbons and the scallops are swapped out for halibut rounds, you have a whimsical reinterpretation that actually tastes equally thrilling.
I used smoked paprika and cumin to mimic the smoky fl avor of bacon and I decided to glaze the halibut rounds in honey and sugar to mimic the natural sweetness of scallops. The curry is purely for color and to balance the sweetness of the fish, and the spinach pasta lends a rich backdrop for the yellow-tinted "scallops."
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If you really want to fool your guests, it is easy to make your halibut cubes look more like scallops. Using a tablespoon as your stencil, press down slightly on the halibut and then trace around it with a sharp knife. If you cut your cubes small enough, you can just press them into the tablespoon to form a ball shape without having to cut the fish. But if you do have leftover fish scraps, don't throw them away. Cook them in a skillet with leftover rice, peas, and other vegetables to make a quick fried rice dinner the next night.note
If you don't have time to make the noodles and sauce, here's an easy swap. USe your zucchini to make the noodles instead of fake bacon. Skip the spinach sauce and the zucchini wrap, and simply serve the scallops over a healthy bed of zucchini pasta noodles.
