The scallops found in Scottish waters are always of a high quality, with a mild yet sweet flavour.
You'll find them at their best from October through to March, although they are still very good and available all year round.
Look for plump, firm, moist scallops which have that sweet sea water aroma. Many suppliers will soak them in brine, as the scallop acts like a sponge and increases in weight. This can affect the flavour and so I would suggest avoiding scallops which are bright white in colour and swollen as these have usually been soaked.
When you buy scallops you will notice two options are available; dredged or hand-dived. Dredging can cause serious damage to sea life and I would always recommend looking for the hand-dived variety.
The scallops we use at Restaurant Mark Greenaway are actually twice hand dived. My supplier, David Oakes, has been diving for scallops since 1987 and is, in my opinion, still the best around. David lifts the shells from deeper waters in Loch Sligachan on the east coast of the Isle of Skye and places them in shallow waters to "finish" growing, a process which takes two years. By lying in the shallow waters, where the plankton is thicker, the scallops can feed and achieve full potential.
This recipe is another great dish to impress your dinner guests while being easy to prepare.
A quick tip, it is a good idea to prepare all the other ingredients before cooking your scallops, as they are very easy to overcook.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 or 3 scallops per person depending on their size
3 slices of smoked pancetta, diced
100ml double cream
200g fresh peas
Pinch of salt
Method
1 Remove the scallops from the shell and wash thoroughly removing all of the "skirt" but leaving the roe and actual scallop intact (I recommend getting your fishmonger to do this part for you)
2 Wash the shell and dry well. Remove the roe from the scallop and wash well, place on a baking sheet and season with a little salt then cook in your oven at its lowest setting overnight to dry it out.
3 Blend up your dried roe until it resembles a fine powder.
4 De-pod your peas (leaving one pod intact for presentation).
5 Fry off your pancetta in a non-stick pan until nice and crisp, then add peas, cream and a little salt.
6 Pull the cream mixture off the heat and keep warm.
7 Dip one side of the scallop into the roe powder. Heat another non-stick frying pan and place the scallop gently in it roe side down. Cook for 2 minutes.
8 Turn the scallop over and cook for a further 2 minutes and then season with a little salt.
9 Pull the scallop pan off the heat and rest for about 2 minutes.
10 While the scallops are resting, place your shells under a hot grill or in the oven for a couple of minutes to warm through.
11 Place your cream mixture in the bottom of the scallop shell and top with the scallops and the peas left in the pod.
Please note in the restaurant we top the scallop with a little crispy pancetta and baby herbs, this is of course optional.
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