In Scotland we are blessed with some of the best ingredients a cook can find, and for me hand-dived scallops are at the top of the list.
In Scotland we are blessed with some of the best ingredients a cook can find, and for me hand-dived scallops are at the top of the list.
I was lucky to enjoy a weekend of glorious weather in Knoydart last October. Sitting on the pier in Inverie in the early morning with little but the sound of stags in the hills, I looked on as a couple of locals dived for scallops from a small boat. What a way to spend a Sunday morning. Imagine how they must taste when you lift them from the seabed then take them home and cook them for lunch.
I recently started working with a supplier called the Ethical Shellfish Company, which is based in Mull. Guy, the boss, is doing a great job with hand-dived scallops of varying sizes from the waters around the island. He delivers them to my restaurants in Leith and at Cameron House weekly, and they couldn’t be fresher.
Steamed scallops with fennel and Pernod (serves 4)
12 large scallops
1tbsp dill, freshly chopped
2tbsp Pernod
20g unsalted butter (for the fennel)
1 medium bulb of fennel, cut into thin strips
0.5tsp mild curry powder
2tbsp double cream
80g unsalted butter, cold and diced (for the sauce)
Method
Place the scallops on one half of a large piece of tinfoil. Season them on both sides with a little salt, pepper, dill and Pernod.
Fold over the other half of tinfoil and roll the edges together, pressing them to seal the scallops inside.
Add some water to a steamer pan (or a large pan with a steamer basket inside) and bring it to a boil. Place the scallops inside and cover with a lid.
Leave them to cook for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the scallops.
While the scallops are cooking, melt 20g of butter in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the fennel and season with a little salt and pepper and curry powder. Add just enough water to cover and simmer for five minutes.
Lift the fennel out of the water with a slotted spoon on to a plate and keep it warm.
Reduce the fennel cooking liquid until there is approximately two tablespoons left.
Add the double cream to the pan and simmer. Whisk in the cold butter a little at a time until completely emulsified with the cream, then remove the pan from the heat and check the seasoning.
When the scallops are cooked remove the tinfoil parcel from the steamer and place it on a plate. Carefully open it and place the scallops on a bed of the warm fennel.
Whisk the cooking juices from the scallops into the sauce, pour it over the scallops and serve.
Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond, Cameron House, Loch Lomond. Visit www.martin-wishart.co.uk or call 01389 722504.
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