This dish looks a picture, but it’s actually an easy meal to make. Scallops are so delicious and take absolute minimum effort to prepare and cook. When I cook scallops, I like to pair them with simple flavours to accentuate them rather than drown them out. A quick flash on the pan is enough to release their delicious sweet juicy flavour. They are a little more expensive than most fish, but they’re worth it for their exquisite taste and texture. Minted pea puree and scallops are a tried and tested flavour combination, but still my favourite out of all. The creamy mashed potatoes make a meal out of this sumptuous starter. I love to use the scallop shells as little serving dishes for these sweet and creamy morsels. This dish is really easy to make but feels like restaurant food. No crazy cheffy techniques or trickery necessary, just simple and tasty food….wait a minute isn’t that my tagline!
Here’s how:
Pea Puree
– 200g frozen peas (fresh peas, if you can get them in season)
– 2 tablespoons of butter
– 1tsp roughly chopped mint
– salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– 2 tablespoons of cream
Potato Mash
– 500g potatoes, such as Roosters, peeled and quartered
– 25g butter
– 50ml milk
– 1 tablespoon of cream
– salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– Sprinkle of finely grated nutmeg
Herb butter
– 50g of butter
– 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs (I used chives and parsley)
– A squeeze of lemon juice
Scallops
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 6 scallops cleaned and removed from their shells
– salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
– Wedges of lemon and a few sprigs of fresh dill
– Scallop shells (Most good fishmongers will have clean scallop shells that they will happily give you for free.)
Cook the frozen peas as per the packet instructions. Drain the peas and add the butter, chopped mint, salt, pepper and cream. Place in the blender or use a handheld blender to puree. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Peel the potatoes and chop them into quarters. Place the potatoes in a steamer over a large pan of boiling water. Place over a high heat. Boil the potatoes until tender.
Leave the potatoes aside to cool in the steamer. Meanwhile empty out the water from the saucepan underneath the steamer. Place the cream and butter in the saucepan and melt over a low heat. Once melted, use a potato ricer to rice the cooled potatoes into the hot milk and butter mix. I love potato ricers as they really eliminate any yucky lumps. You could use a masher but a ricer is the best. Season the riced potatoes with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine together with a large wooden spoon. Taste again and season more if necessary. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Melt the butter and add the chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon. Keep warm until ready to serve.
For the scallops, place them in a medium sized bowl and mix with the olive oil. The scallops should have a thin coating of olive oil. Season with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan, until very hot. You can use a normal frying pan, I just like the slightly smoky flavour and grilled texture you get from a griddle pan. Place the scallops on the hot griddle pan and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until each side has a golden-brown crust. The scallops should be almost completely opaque when cooked.
Arrange the three scallop shells on a plate/ slate/ wooden board. Make sure the peas, potatoes and butter are now fully on the heat and piping hot. Place a spoonful of the pea puree in one shell, a spoon of the potato in another and a spoon of the herb butter in the third shell. Carefully place a scallop in the centre of each shell. Garnish with a few sprigs of fragrant dill and some wedges of lemon on the side. Serve with a nice chilled glass of Chablis. Bliss.
