Recipe: Scallops

Warm Black Pearl scallop and fennel salad with clementine dressing

Ingredients

Serves 2

4 baby fennel bulbs or 1/2 fennel bulb, very finely sliced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
25 g/1 oz caster sugar
270 g/91/2 oz new potatoes, peeled or scrubbed (about 4 good size potatoes)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 Black Pearl scallops
3 tbsp olive oil
15g /1/2 oz butter

Clementine dressing:

2 clementines
30 ml/2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
6 basil leaves, shredded

Method

1 Stir the vinegar and caster sugar together in a non-metallic bowl. Add the fennel and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until softened.

2 Cook the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain. Leave until cool enough to handle, then slice thinly.

3 For the clementine dressing: squeeze the juice from one clementine into a bowl. Add the 2 tbsp olive oil and mustard. Wisk together with a fork. Peel and chop the remaining Clementine, stir into the dressing and season. Set aside until ready to serve.

4 To cook the scallops: pat the scallops dry with absorbent kitchen paper. Heat the butter and 1/2tbsp oil in a heavy-based non-stick or well seasoned frying pan set over a high heat. When melted and foaming add the scallops and cook for 11/2-2 minutes without moving them until well browned underneath, turn over and cook for a further 1-1/2 minutes the other side.

5 Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan set over a medium-low heat. Add the fennel, their marinade and the potatoes. Heat through for 2-3 minutes.

6 To finish and assemble the dish: Working quickly, add the parsley to the fennel and potatoes, gently stir together. Check the seasoning then spoon along the centre of two warmed serving plates. Arrange the scallops on top. Stir the basil into the clementine dressing, spoon over the scallops and serve immediately.