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Pan seared scallops and cauliflower puree

How to fry scallops at home, if you want a restaurant-grade standard, with golden brown on the top and tender on the inside, you need to do the following.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: British

Keyword: classic

Servings: People

Calories: 494kcal

Author: Charlotte Wang

Ingredients

For Puree：

300 g Cauliflower
25 g Butter
enough to cover Milk

For Scallops：

6 Large Scallops
1 tbsp Groundnut oil
1 tbsp Butter
To taste Salt

For Topping：

2-3 slices Pancetta
some Watercress

Instructions

Preparing ingredients:

Scallop:
There are different ways of preparing the scallops depending on whether they are wet or dry.
If you are using wet scallops, it is recommended to first use a brine (brining), that is, first put the scallops in 500 ml tap water + 30 ml lemon juice + 1 tablespoon salt for 30 minutes before proceeding.
We used fresh dried scallops, so the steps are as follows:
Remove the orange scallop roe and a small muscle attached to the scallops.
Rinse with running water, then absorb moisture with kitchen paper and place it on two layers of kitchen paper.
Gently press the surface with kitchen paper to absorb the surface moisture.
Cauliflower: Rinse off cauliflower and cut off the stem. Use a knife to cut off the cauliflower one by one. Rinse the cauliflower again and drain the water.
Watercress salad: Wash and dry and set aside.

To make puree:

Over a medium heat, put butter in the saucepan until it melts. Add cauliflower and fry for about 3 minutes. Add milk until completely covered with cauliflower. Bring to boil. Reduce the heat and cook slowly for 20 minutes.
After the cauliflower is cooked and soft, use a sieve to separate the cauliflower and milk, so as to better control the consistency when pureeing.
Cauliflower is placed in a blender while hot, and the milk is added in portions to mix to the appropriate consistency. You are looking for a dense smooth texture that will drop form a spoon.

Fried Pancetta/Bacon:

On medium heat, put the thin bacon and fry it after the pan is hot. Once crispy use kitchen paper to absorb the oil and set aside.

Fried scallops:

Use kitchen paper to gently press the surface of the scallops again to absorb moisture. Sprinkle with salt on the side that is fried first, that is, the wider side.
Put the oil in the pan over medium heat. After the oil is hot (sprinkle a little water into the oil, the oil reacts violently and crackles). Put the scallops clockwise.
Avoid moving.
Fry one side according to cooking time and turn over.
About cooking time:
According to the size of the scallops and personal preference. You can use the king scallop we used as a reference. The size of the Scottish king scallop is about 3 to 4 centimetres in diameter and height. It takes about 2 minutes on one side and 1 minute on the other side. If it is more than 3 minutes, it is likely to be overcooked and the taste will become tough.
After flipping, season the other side with salt. Add butter, fry and spoon the oil in the pan over the scallops. Fry until the scallops are still a little soft to the touch. You can put the scallops on the kitchen paper and let them sit for a while before serving.

Plating:

Pour an appropriate amount of cauliflower puree on the plate with scallops in the middle. Tear the bacon crisps and place them around the scallops. Decorate with salad watercress in the middle and enjoy.

Nutrition

Pan seared scallops and cauliflower puree