It's one of my golden rules with scallops that they must be hand-dived rather than dredged.
Another is that they must arrive at my restaurants alive, thus guaranteeing diners the optimum flavour. Apply these standards to this light dish - ordering the scallops from your fishmonger - and you won't be disappointed.
For the cauliflower, ginger and lime puree, select a cauliflower with a pure white head and no discolouration. Crisp green leaves and the colour of the base are good indications of how recently it's been picked - the whiter the base and the greener the leaves, the fresher the cauliflower will be.
King scallops grilled in the shell with cauliflower, ginger and lime
Serves 4
Scallops
4 king scallops in the shell
20ml olive oil
1 lemon
Cauliflower, ginger and lime puree
1 small cauliflower
100g unsalted butter
50ml chicken stock
Zest of 1 lime
5g root ginger, peeled and finely diced
Lemongrass sauce
1 garlic clove
1 shallot
10g unsalted butter
200ml white wine
250ml fish stock
300ml double cream
1 stick of lemongrass
If you've not prepared scallops in the shell before then ask your fishmonger to remove the scallop for you, keeping the bottom half of the shell. If you've shucked a scallop before and are comfortable doing so, remove the scallop, detach the coral and gently wash the scallop in cold water before placing them on a clean tea towel. Keep the scallops in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
For the cauliflower, ginger and lime puree, remove the leaves of the cauliflower then finely chop it into fine, even dice.
Place a large, wide saucepan on the hob and add the butter. Once melted, add the chopped cauliflower, season lightly with salt and cook slowly over a moderate heat, stirring continuously to avoid it sticking. Once the cauliflower has turned a golden caramel colour add the stock, lime zest and ginger, check the seasoning and place aside to keep warm.
For the lemongrass sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic and shallot. Melt the butter in a large saucepan then add the shallot and garlic and season lightly with salt.
Once the shallot has softened add the white wine and cook on a rapid heat until reduced by two-thirds, then add the fish stock, bring to the boil and gently simmer until the stock has been reduced by one-third.
Add the cream and bring it to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat.
Bash the lemongrass using a rolling pin, add it to the sauce and infuse for 30 minutes before straining the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan.
To cook the scallops, first set the grill to a high setting. Place a scallop in each shell and season lightly with salt and brush with a little olive oil, then put the scallops on a baking tray under the grill for approximately 5 minutes.
When the scallops are cooked place a large spoonful of warm cauliflower puree on each scallop, pour a little sauce over the top and serve immediately.
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