Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Prepare the Scallops
1 I highly recommend using fresh large scallops but if your scallops are frozen, thaw them according to the package instructions. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
0 In a bowl, season the scallops with salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder.
3 Cut the bacon strips in half to have shorter pieces. Then, wrap each scallops with a piece of bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Ensure the toothpick goes through both the bacon. and scallop to hold them together. 
Brown the Bacon
5 Heat a skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Place the bacon wrapped scallops in the pan, bacon side down.
6 Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the bacon becomes crispy and golden brown. Make sure to continuously flip the scallops and focus more on browning the bacon. You may need to adjust the heat to prevent the bacon from burning and the scallops from overcooking. 
7 Once the bacon is crisp, remove the bacon wrapped scallops from the pan and set aside. Discard bacon grease from the pan.
Make the Brown Sugar Glaze
9 Using the same skillet,  add unsalted butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, water, garlic, thyme, ginger and red pepper flakes. Whisk it all together until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes until it start to thicken.  Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if needed. 
10 Lower the heat and add the bacon wrapped scallops back to the skillet. Toss them in the sauce until they are fully coated and the scallops are tender.  Make sure to continuously baste the scallops with the sauce. 
11 You can serve the scallops with the toothpicks or carefully remove the toothpicks and transfer the scallops to a serving plate. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!