SCALLOPS WITH SORREL, LEMON AND PRIMROSES

If scallops are really fresh, you can eat them just as they are. No cooking is necessary. They are beautifully refined, delicate and sweet with a gentle suggestion of salinity. Lemon juice brings out even more flavour in raw scallops. Sorrel makes a delightful addition. It tastes like sharp apples, citrus and gooseberries and has a natural affinity with fish and shellfish. I also like to scatter over edible flowers from the garden.

Preparation 15 minutes (if not preparing the scallops) Serves 2

5-6 LARGE HAND-DIVED SCALLOPS

4-5 SORREL LEAVES

JUICE OF 1 LEMON

1 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1 TSP CASTER SUGAR

2 SMALL SPRING ONIONS, VERY THINLY SLICED SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER A HANDFUL OF PRIMROSE FLOWERS OR ANY OTHER EDIBLE FLOWER

Cook’s note

Make sure your scallops are very fresh for this dish. I tend to buy live ones, in the shell, then cut and prepare them myself. However, your fishmonger will happily do this for you if you prefer. To do it yourself, take a thin-bladed knife, such as a filleting knife, and hold the shell upright, with the rounded edge downward on a board and the hinge at the top. If you’re righthanded, the flat side of the shell should face to your right (and to your left if you’re left-handed). Find an opening as near to the top edge of the shell as possible and ease in the knife tip. Keep the knife as tight to the flat of the shell as possible and cut down through the muscle at the point it meets the shell. This will allow you to open the scallop. Run the tip of the knife under the scallop and lift it out of the lower part of the shell onto a board. Remove the orange-coloured roe, the translucent strip of frill and the black gut sack at the back of the muscle. Peel away the very fine membrane that runs around the scallop’s edge so that you’re left with pure, white muscle. Save the roe for frying off separately and freeze the frills for fish stock (they have a lot of flavour). Repeat for all the scallops.

1 Carefully slice each scallop into 3-4 rounds.

2 Remove the coarser stalk from each sorrel leaf, then ribbon the leaves finely with a sharp knife. Place the prepared sorrel in a bowl with the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, sugar, spring onions and some sea salt and black pepper. Stir well. 3 Take 1½ tbsp of this dressing and turn it through the scallops. Spoon the rest out over two cool, flat plates. Arrange the sliced, dressed scallops over the plate and spoon over any juices left in the bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper.

4 Pinch the petals from the primrose flowers (or other edible flowers) and scatter these over the scallops. Serve at once.

Scallops are beautifully refined, delicate and sweet with a gentle suggestion of salinity