Chef Chris’s tasty dish
Both restaurants use freshly caught hand dived scallops from the Scottish Isle of Barra.
Scallops are a personal favourite of mine and likewise are a massive hit with our customers.
And summer is the perfect time to prepare them as they are meaty but also refreshing for the pallet.
These large scallops, pan seared lightly on both sides work great together with cauliflower puree, red pepper coulis and oriental spiced pork bon bons, a squeeze of lemon and dehydrated coral which has a slight flavor of brine and adds a subtle savoury taste to the sweet white meat of the scallops.
It is certainly a favourite dish of mine and, happily, of my customers too.
This dish would be the perfect start to a wonderful dinner party, especially accompanied with a chilled glass of Chenin Blanc.
Preparation time is less than 2hrs 30mins; cooking time is 10 to 15 minutes and it serves four.
For the scallops: 12 large hand dived scallops; one tbs olive oil; 15g salted butter.
For cauliflower puree: One head of cauliflower, cut into florets; milk to cover; 3oz of butter; two cloves; two bay leaves; salt and cracked black pepper.
For the pork bon bons: One bottle of cider and one pint of chicken stock; 6oz of Scottish pork shoulder; 200g pin head oatmeal; two finely chopped chilli; salt and cracked black pepper.
For the blackcurrant coulis: One punnet blackcurrants; one diced white onion; 50ml white wine vinegar; 25g soft dark brown sugar; salt and cracked black pepper; 250ml blackcurrant juice.
For dehydrated roe: 12 roe off the hand dived scallops; salt and cracked black pepper. Pre- heat oven to 200c/ 400f/ gas 6 For the roe: Detach the roe from the scallops and place on a tray and oven bake for one hour roughly, till dried out. Chill and place in a food processor and blend into a fine roe dust.
For the pork bon bon: Place pork shoulder in a small sauce pan, fill with cider and chicken stock, bring to boil and simmer for one hour 30 mins till pork tender for pulling. Take pork out and place in a food processor and pulse blitz gently adding chillies and seasoning to bind the mixture together. Roll into small bon bons, tray and chill.
Finally roll the bon bons in pin head oatmeal and deep fry for two mins prior to serve.
For the cauliflower puree: Place the florets into a small sauce pan and cover in milk, add the cloves, bay leaves and butter. Boil until cauliflower is soft. Place the cauliflower in a colander and drain until completely dry. Place in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the milk mixture to loosen if required.
For the coulis: Heat a small saucepan with tbs of olive oil, sweat the onions and blackcurrants for few minutes, add the vinegar and brown sugar and cook for a few minutes, Season well, use hand blender to puree and pass through a fine sieve.
For the scallops: Heat non- stick pan, make sure your pan is very warm to get a good colour, add small drizzle of oil. Place the scallops in pan and sear on both sides of scallops for a few minutes. Finish with a knob of butter to give richness and glaze on the white meat.
Garnish With some bacon lardons and apple slices.
Chef Chris loves scallops. An expensive but delicious shellfish with a delicate taste, available in a range of sizes. Scallops have two fan- shaped shells which contain rounds of firm white flesh, sometimes with the edible cream and orange coral ( or roe) attached.