MATCHING whisky with food has become popular. I am not convinced this is always successful, but every distillery seems to crave ideas for recipes and ingredients to help market their own particular single malt or blend. Some ingredients have worked quite successfully and become recognised as a great match with particular brands. For example, blue cheese, dark chocolate, dried fruits, fresh berries, fish and seafood have become accepted as interesting pairings.

May is Whisky Month across Scotland, with World Whisky Day happening on Saturday (May 20). I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that we spend a whole month celebrating the national drink. Whisky is already Scotland’s greatest export, but the main aim of Whisky Month is to spread the word further and wider, while attracting visitors to explore our whisky trails and the amazing array of distilleries which have developed in every corner of the country since the early 1800s. Spreading knowledge and passion about what we call, in Gaelic, uisge beatha, the water of life, could also be described as a Scottish preoccupation – particularly as it is hard for most of us to deny we also enjoy a dram.

Styles of whisky are clearly defined by the region in which they are distilled. The character of the local fresh water supply can be very specific, helping to create the distinctive styles. The way in which the grain is dried and malted, adds to the final flavour of the spirit. Once it is distilled and stored in wooden barrels, or casks, the wood also imparts flavour to the finished product.

The Highlands is by far the largest of Scotland's five whisky-producing areas. The Scottish Islands produce their own, individually named Island malts. The Campbeltown area retains its own branding, although only three malts are produced there, compared with 30 in the past. A few Lowland malts remain in production in the central belt. Speyside is perhaps the most famous area. The River Spey is Scotland's third-longest river, rising on the edge of the Cairngorm National Park and flowing through the beautiful Spey Valley to the east coast. This is home to the world's largest concentration of malt whisky distilleries and some of the most famous names.

The Moray and Speyside region is also important for arable and livestock farming. Whisky distilling was once a by-product of barley production in the area. In turn, the by-product of the mashing process, was used in the production of animal feed. A number of important small towns grew up around the distilleries when whisky developed into a large and important industry during the 1800s. An Excise Act marked the beginning of the modern era of production, but Scots were distilling whisky using well-hidden illicit stills, long before this time. A dram of Scotch whisky grew in popularity as a drink outwith Scotland, helped by a devastating crop failure in France due to Phylloxera infestation which ravaged its vineyards and resulted in a rapid decline of wine and brandy imports. Sherry, Port and Madeira became popular alternatives and Scottish distillers learned to use the redundant casks to mature their whisky.

Today the range of whisky produced is enormous and a professional whisky tasting event is a fantastic experience. I have been amazed by the wide variance in the "nose" and "palate" of different bottlings of just one label, let alone comparisons with other brands from different regions. This is why choosing a food to match a particular whisky is complex. I do not believe it is easy to use all whiskies with one particular style of food. Pairing whisky with a specific ingredient is as idiosyncratic as it is about personal taste.

Skye king scallops, hand-dived and as fresh as can be, delivered from Sconser to our kitchen at Colbost, around 25 miles door-to-door, are a fabulous product and probably best served unadulterated. Searing in a hot pan with a little oil and finishing with a dab of butter, a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt is all that is required. However, in the restaurant world, we are continually to seeking different ways of serving popular ingredients. When I first arrived in Skye, I inherited a very large bag of frozen scallop meat along with the restaurant’s surplus stockpile contained in a big chest freezer. I had never cooked a scallop before and my introduction to them was water and mush, in comparison to the real thing. In my opinion, the rocky shores and cold, clean waters of the west Highlands and Islands are home to the best scallops available anywhere in the world and we should be proud to protect these fisheries from spoiling through over-fishing and poor management. Whisky can be developed, but natural ingredients straight from the sea, cannot be improved upon – just cooked well.

I have heard many fishy tales in my time, but one which has always stuck with me is of fishermen at sea, prising open a fresh scallop, dousing it with a dash of whisky, allowing it a few seconds to soak into the flesh, and eating it raw, straight from the shell. This is the basis of my recipe today. A scallop is one of many ingredients that love a wee drap o’ Scotch.

Scallops with whisky

(Serves two)

Ingredients (for the salad)

1 large orange, peeled and segmented. Squeeze residual juice and reserve for cooking the scallops and dressing the salad

1 bunch fresh watercress, washed and picked over, any large stems removed

½ a small fennel bulb, washed and sliced very thinly

Fresh herbs – preferably some fronds of fennel, a few small mint leaves, plus a few leaves of fresh thyme and broken sprigs of parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp orange juice

Sprinkling of dried Kombu seaweed flakes

Pinch of sea salt

Ingredients (for cooking the scallops)

4 whole king scallops, cleaned and roe intact

4 rashers streaky bacon, or 2 rashers of Ayrshire middle roll

1 tbsp olive oil

25g unsalted Scottish butter

2 tsp fresh orange juice

4 tsp single malt whisky (I use Dalwhinnie)

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of dried Kombu seaweed flakes

Method

1. Prepare the salad ingredients and place in a bowl. Just before serving, add the olive oil, orange juice, sea salt and seaweed flakes. Turn the ingredients in the dressing and seasoning and place on a dish, or individual serving dishes.

2. Wash and pat dry the scallops, ensuring all traces of entrails are removed. Remove the white gristle-like cartilage from the side of the scallop and discard. Season lightly with sea salt and seaweed flakes.

3. Remove any rind from the bacon and cut into small pieces. Heat a thick-based frying pan, add the olive oil and fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove from the pan and leave to drain on a piece of absorbent kitchen paper.

4. Place each scallop into the hot oil, pressing them down gently, to form a seal with the base of the frying pan. Cook for no more than two minutes, until beginning to caramelise around the edge and showing signs of becoming opaque on the side of the scallop next to the base of the frying pan. Turn over with a palette knife and cook for a few seconds more while working quickly to complete the next steps.

5. Add butter to the hot pan, pour the orange juice over the scallops, followed by the whisky. Flame the whisky and immediately, lift the scallops out of the pan and place on top of the salad ingredients.

6. Using a small, flat whisk, or a fork, quickly whisk together the pan juices and sprinkle over the finished scallops and salad.

7. Finally, garnish with the crispy bacon pieces and a pinch of seaweed flakes. Serve immediately.

Shirley Spear is owner of The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By on the Isle of Skye www.threechimneys.co.uk