By Frederick Berkmiller of L’Escargot Bleu and Blanc
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 x fresh scallops on the shell (if prepared by your fishmonger, ask for the trimmings)
For the stock:
Scallop trims
1 shallot, finely diced
1 small leek, slice very finely sliced
Knob of butter
Olive oil
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, finely sliced
½ glass of white wine
1 clove of garlic, crushed
For the salted cod:
200g fresh cod fillet
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 pinches coarse salt
1 sprig thyme
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
For the sauce Ecossaise:
3 boiled eggs
4 tbsp of plain flour
1 tbsp of butter
A large glass of milk
Salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper & nutmeg for seasoning
Method
1 The day before, place the fresh cod on a tray and sprinkle the coarse salt all over, add the thyme and garlic. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 12 hours.
2 In a pan on a low heat, sweat the shallots in olive oil and butter for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, white leeks and crushed garlic, sweat for another 3 to 4 minutes, add in the scallop trims, the white wine, the bay leaf and the sprig of thyme. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and keep the stock until needed for the sauce Ecossaise. Discard everything else. This should give you roughly a large glass of stock.
3 On the day, boil the eggs. Keep the yolks, and slice the egg white finely. Keep to one side.
4 Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in the sieved flour and whisk it on a low heat for 2 minutes, then pour in the milk and whisk until it boils. Slowly pour in your cold scallop stock still whisking at all time, simmer for another 5 minutes whisking again. By then you should have a sauce of a good consistency. Season with cayenne pepper, nutmeg, white pepper and a little salt.
5 Rinse and cook your cod on a buttered tray for 7 minutes at 180C degrees covered with foil. Once cooked, leave to cool and flake it into your sauce. Add in the egg yolks and give it a firm stir using a wooden spatula, then add in the finely diced egg whites. Taste and then season again.
6 Cook the scallops in a hot frying pan with olive oil and butter. Sear well and cook for 2 minutes on each side - try to keep them raw but warm at the heart.
7 Fill empty shells with warm sauce Ecossaise and finish with a sprinkle of finely sliced parsley. Place the cooked scallops on top and serve.
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