Townsend’s scallops with mussel butter
Classy and classic, this recipe makes a punchy starter with bags of visual impact. Do all the shellfish cleaning ahead and it won’t take you long to make. townsendrestaurant.co.uk
SERVES 4 AS A STARTER | PREP 25 MINS | COOK 5 MINS MORE EFFORT | GF
4 scallops on their half shells
300g fresh mussels, cleaned
100ml white wine
100g butter, cold and cubed, plus a little extra for frying 1 tbsp olive oil, for frying
½ bunch of chives, finely chopped
½ bunch of dill, leaves picked in tiny sprigs
20g sea purslane (optional)
1 lemon, juiced chive oil (optional)
1 If the scallops are not loosened from their shells, remove them gently, making sure you don’t damage them. Slide a blunt butter knife along the shell under the scallop. You can leave the roe on as it has a nice flavour but you do need to remove the small white, shiny membrane on the side of the scallop as this is tough – it should peel off. Wash quickly in cold, slightly salted water, then dry on kitchen paper. Clean the scallop shells with very hot water.
2 Put a lidded pan over a medium heat. Once hot, tip in the mussels and wine, and put on the lid. Cook for 30 seconds-1 min or until the shells are open. Leave the pan to cool with the lid on. Once cool, pick the mussels out of the shells and discard the shells and any mussels that haven’t opened. If there is any grit or sand in the liquid, strain it into another pan. Bring back up to the boil and whisk in the butter, cube by cube, to make an emulsion. Keep warm but not hot.
3 Heat a medium frying pan over a high heat. Season the scallops with salt. Once the pan is very hot, add a little oil and the scallops. Cook for 1-2 mins on the best-looking side of the scallop until golden brown. Flip the scallops and add a small knob of butter. Cook for 1 min then remove from the heat and season with a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the mussels back into the butter sauce along with the chives and sea purslane, if using. Season with salt and more lemon juice, if needed.
4 To serve, arrange the scallops into their shells, spoon over the sauce and mussels, and garnish with dill fronds. Add a little chive oil to finish, if you like.
PER SERVING 255 kcals | fat 22.8G saturates 13.2G | carbs 1.4G | sugars 1.3G fibre 0.4G | protein 6.9G | salt 0.8G