Scallops with pancetta and mushroom, onion confit and quail’s egg on brioche

Serves 6

For the onion confit

— 4 onions, finely sliced

— 10g salt

— 200g caster sugar

— 250ml white-wine vinegar

— 1 tbsp caraway seeds

For the pancetta and mushroom

— 200g pancetta

— 250g mushrooms, such as chanterelles or ceps

— knob of butter

For the scallops

— 6 large scallops

— knob of butter

— squeeze of lemon juice

For the quail’s eggs

— 6 quail’s eggs

— knob of butter

— 6 slices good-quality brioche

To make the confit, place the sliced onion in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, tossing to mix it through. Leave for an hour then rinse the onion slices well and squeeze in a clean tea towel to remove as much liquid as possible.

Place the sugar, vinegar and caraway seeds in medium-sized saucepan and add the onion. Bring to the boil then simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes, or until the liquid turns a golden colour and has slightly thickened. Transfer to a dish to cool, where it will thicken further to a sticky consistency.

Slice the pancetta into 2cm dice and brush the mushrooms to remove any dirt, trimming them if needed and cutting large ones in half. Sauté the pancetta in a dry frying pan until it turns a nice golden colour, then add mushrooms and knob of butter. Season and cook for a couple of minutes until they turn lightly golden. Set aside and keep warm.

Season the scallops with salt and cook in a hot frying pan over a high heat for two minutes (large ones will need a little longer), to seal them to a nice golden colour, before flipping them over and adding the butter and lemon juice. Cook, basting them in the juices, for a further minute then transfer to a plate to rest for one minute.

Quickly wipe the pan clean and fry the quail’s eggs in a little butter. Toast the brioche slices.

Serve the onion confit on the toasted brioche, with some pancetta and mushrooms, a fried egg and a scallop.

Previous page Ballater, on Royal Deeside. This page, clockwise fromright The Carriage tearoom; inside the Rothesay Rooms restaurant; head chef Ross Cochrane favours locally sourced ingredients.Opposite, from top The Carriage sits in the former royal station; its private dining room was once the royal waiting room