Broiled Scallops with Honey-Lime Marinade and Sauteed Sesame Spinach

A few weeks ago, I found frozen scallops at the grocery store. They were reasonably priced and I thought they would be a nice change up from my usual proteins. The main reason I bought them was because I had a recipe from the National Honey Board for scallops with honey-lime marinade and I really wanted to try it. This recipe is low in calories, high in protein, and a really quick main course, which is perfect for me considering how stressful this semester is getting! With scallops having a fast cooking time and being accessible at the store, I will probably be adding more scallop recipes to my menus. This particular recipe was really easy. I actually threw the marinade together with the scallops late last night right before I went to bed, then gave the scallops a toss before I left for campus. The scallops and the spinach hit the table in about 10 minutes, which was also great. Just one note: like shrimp, I find scallops to have their own natural salty flavor (probably because they come from the sea, duh...) so I omitted the salt in the recipe and didn't miss it at all. I also left out the lime zest originally called for in the recipe because after kickboxing class and studying for hours for an exam last night I just didn't feel like fiddling with zesting a lime!

I served these scallops with sauteed spinach, which is fast becoming my favorite green vegetable. I started eating cooked spinach because it's so popular in Jillian Michaels' publications, which I refer to often for healthy recipes. Initially, I thought cooked spinach would be bitter and bland, but if you add delicious flavoring agents, how could it be boring? I kind of took a more Asian-inspired direction because I thought these flavors would pair well with the sweet scallops. Next time I prepare this meal, I will be sure to also add rice because it could absorb the soy-sauced juices from the spinach and honey-lime juices from the scallops.

Broiled Scallops with Honey-Lime Marinade
Printable Recipe 

12 oz small sea scallops
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp lime juice
hot sauce (to taste, optional)
salt (to taste, optional)

1. Whisk the honey, oil, lime juice, hot sauce, and salt together. Add the scallops and toss. Marinade for 1-24 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Heat your broiler. Add the scallops to a broiler-proof dish. Broil the scallops 4 inches from the heat source for 4-7 minutes or until the sugars from the honey brown and the scallops are opaque. Serve on a bed of spinach with some bread or rice to soak up the juices rendered from the scallops.

Servings per recipe: 2Per serving:Calories: 203Fat: 3.6 gSaturated fat: 0.6 gCholesterol: 56 mgSodium: 274 mgCarbohydrates: 13.1 gSugars: 8.7 gProtein: 28.6 g
Sauteed Sesame Spinach
Printable Recipe 

2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
10 oz fresh spinach leaves
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
dash natural rice wine vinegar or lime juice
garnish: more sesame seeds and sliced scallions

1. In a cold pan, add the oil, seeds, garlic, and ginger. Heat the pan over medium heat and stir the aromatics until they become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the spinach and immediately douse the leaves with the soy sauce and vinegar or lime juice. Saute until the leaves are wilted to your liking.

Servings per recipe: 2Per serving:Calories: 107
Fat: 7.4 g
Saturated fat: 1.1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 260 mg
Carbohydrates: 8 gFiber: 3.8 g
Sugars: 0.8 g
Protein: 5.3 g