Although pesto is easy to make, buying the Italian basil can be costly. I use good commercial brands of pesto; the types sold in the frozen or refrigerated sections of supermarkets are much better than the stuff that contains lots of ingredients to make it shelf-stable. The best brands of pesto contain just basil, olive oil, garlic and parmesan cheese, perhaps with a little citric acid to preserve the bright green colour.
For the bacon, use a streaky type with a fair amount of fat; back bacon is too dry. Choose a brand that's not too salty or over-smoked, or it will overwhelm the delicacy of the scallops. The scallops can have the rich roe on or off, as you prefer.
Serve this easy-to-make dish with warm, crusty bread, and a salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice, then sprinkled with chopped toasted hazelnuts.
8-10 fresh scallops, approximately 3.5cm in diameter
4-5 strips of bacon
Ground paprika, to taste
Rough-flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper