BEING SHELLFISH

KING SCALLOPS PROVENCALE (SERVES 4)

INGREDIENTS

For the courgettes: 2 courgettes, halved lengthways Olive oil For the tomato fondue: 150ml extra virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced Sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped 750g baby plum tomatoes, quartered For the breadcrumbs: 2tbsp olive oil 80g fresh or dried breadcrumbs 1 garlic clove, crushed Small bunch parsley, finely chopped 1 sprig each of thyme and rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped For the sautéed potatoes: 500g new potatoes, boiled and halved lengthways 50g unsalted butter Small handful of parsley, roughly chopped 1 shallot, finely diced 2 cloves of garlic, crushed For the scallops: 50g unsalted butter 16 scallops, cleaned and roe removed ½ lemon To serve: 8 padrón peppers Fresh basil and tarragon, leaves picked

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Score the flesh of the courgettes in a criss-cross pattern and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place fleshside up on a baking tray. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.

2. To make the fondue, heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and sweat the garlic and rosemary on a low heat for two minutes without colouring.

3. Add the tomatoes, the rest of the oil and a pinch of salt, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on.

4. Meanwhile, make the breadcrumbs. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and add all of the breadcrumb ingredients, along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, for two to three minutes until crisp. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

5. The tomatoes should have released their liquid now and broken down. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary and set aside, with the lid on, to keep warm.

6. To sauté the potatoes, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over a medium heat, add the potatoes and fry until golden brown (you may have to do this in batches). Tip into a bowl, straining off any excess butter, mix in the parsley, shallot and garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. While the potatoes are frying, heat another non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, add 1tbsp of olive oil and cook the padrón peppers until blistered. Remove from the heat and set aside.

8. Using the same pan you just cooked the peppers in, melt the butter for the scallops over a mediumhigh heat. When the butter is foaming, add the scallops and fry on each side for two to three minutes, or until caramelized and just cooked through. Season with salt and lemon juice.

9. To serve, spoon the tomato fondue in the middle of each plate, followed by a courgette half. Top each with four scallops and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs. Arrange the potatoes and peppers on the side and decorate with the basil and tarragon leaves.