Mark Heir's seared orkney scallops with celeriac and green apple

Serves: 4 people

Prep: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

8 XL Hand Dived Orkney Scallops – removed from shell, your fishmonger will do this for you.

25ml Vegetable Oil

20g Salted Butter

1 Spring Lemon Thyme

1 Lemon

 

For the Celeriac Cream:

750g Celeriac

150g Butter

150ml Double Cream

Salt and White Pepper 

 

For the Hazelnut Dressing:

50g Whole Blanched Hazelnuts – lightly crushed

50ml Toasted Sesame Oil

10g Chervil – finely chopped

1 Lemon

50ml of the brown butter from cooking the scallops

 

Method:

• Peel and dice the celeriac and place in a pot of boiling salted water and cook until tender. Place the cooked celeriac in a food blender and blend until a smooth puree. In the pan add the butter and cook until nut brown, add the double cream and reduce by half.
• Add the cream and butter mixture to the celeriac puree, blend for a further minute, pass the puree though a fine sieve and then season to taste with salt and white pepper. Set aside.
• In a small pan over a medium to high heat toast the hazelnuts until golden then transfer to a small bowl and add the sesame oil, chervil and the juice of 1 lemon. Set aside until after the scallops are cooked.
• Heat a large frying pan, add the vegetable oil, then place in the scallops on their flat side into the pan, do not move the pan or the scallops, allow them to roast and caramelize. As the edge of the scallops turn golden brown turn them over and add the butter and thyme to the pan. As the butter browns turn the heat off under the pan and start to baste the scallops in the foaming brown butter.
• After 1 minute of basting remove the scallops from the pan  and drain excess butter on kitchen paper.
• Add 50ml of the brown butter to the hazelnut dressing and stir to combine.
• To serve, spoon the celeriac puree onto a warmed serving plate, top with 2 scallops per plate, drizzle of the hazelnut dressing and garnish with think matchsticks or disks of raw green apple.

See Mark Heirs' create this dish live on the Eat & Drink Stage at Ideal Home Show Scotland. See appearance dates and times.