What to do with the braised fennel

Common replacements for fennel bulb in the west - celery or bok choy, with some fennel seed and/or ouzo or Pernod thrown in. In Japan, udo, which is like asparagus.
In a pinch, I would replace fennel with a delicate young potato, a common ingredient in scallop dishes.

Eileen, two suggestions.
Plate the braised fennel with the rice and other ingredients af the end.
You might want to find another scallop dish to make for a July weekend, as fennel bulb is in season roughly late fall to early spring.
Or use fennel seeds and another white vegetable this time around.