Scallops in paperbark with sake, pepperberry and desert lime

SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 10 MINS

“Paperbark has been used in Aboriginal cooking for generations,” says Luke Bourke. “It brings a really smoky flavour and also protects the meat from overcooking.” You will need 4 large pieces of paperbark, approximately 20cm x 60cm (see note).

16 cleaned scallops on the half-shell 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp ground pepperberries (see note) 2 tbsp sake 60 gm desert lime (see note), thawed, finely chopped 80 gm saltbush (see note) 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil

1 Soak paperbark sheets in a large bowl of cold water.

2 Preheat a barbecue or char-grill plate over high heat. Drain paperbark and top each sheet with 4 scallops. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with pepperberry and salt flakes. Cover with a sheet of baking paper, then fold over paperbark (or place a smaller piece on top) to form a parcel. Secure with kitchen string or metal wire. Barbecue for 5 minutes. 3 Combine lime and remaining olive oil in a bowl.

4 Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook saltbush, in batches, stirring until crisp (1 minute).

5 Carefully open paperbark parcels. Spoon over lime dressing, drizzle with sake and top with saltbush to serve. Note Paperbark, desert lime and saltbush are available from Two Providores (twoprovidores. com.au) and other nativeingredient specialists. If your paperbark sheets are smaller than required, improvise by using 2 smaller sheets. If using bark you’ve gathered, place sheets in the freezer for 1 hour to kill any insects. Rinse under cold water, then soak sheets as per recipe. Pepperberries are available from Herbie’s Spices (herbies.com.au) and other specialist food stores.