Scallops is a great option when it comes for an small appetizer . Many chefs present their culinary skills through this crustaceans.
Well , I always fond of scallops when I want to impress my guests through culinary skills . Scallops are easy to cook but needs a lot of perfection , so that it will not be overcooked.
Scallops are basically based on two types Sea Scallops and Bay Scallops . Usually we use Sea scallops for searing , for grilled platters as there are larger compare to bay scallops and even in taste also bay scallops are bit sweeter and very soft .
Here in this dish also, I used sea scallops because they are good when you are planning to sear them and they also have great texture thats make them more chewy. I just marinate the scallops with salt & pepper and a bit of thyme as what I believe if we will marinate the scallops with more flavorful ingredients like garlic, rosemary they will cover the flavor of scallops and you will not much enjoy it .
My another experiment in this dish is the Broccoli and Potato Galette ( well, Galette is basically a French term use for round cakes ) here I use this term for making round cake of potato and broccoli with some additional ingredients like onion, salt , pepper. I got the nice and tasty cake of these two ingredients and its very well match up with the scallops because the fine texture of the cake goes very well with scallops .
For Sauce I used Celeriac root which is the best option to match up with scallops because of it creamy texture and taste . I just add few drops of lemon in it which is just matching with scallops on a citric note .
And then Last nut not the least , nice green micro herbs on the top makes this dish a good choice for an appetizer for fine dine, vip functions and all.
INGREDIENTS QUANTITY
Sea Scallops 1pc
Salt To Taste
Black Pepper a pinch
Thyme Few Sprigs
Olive Oil 10ml
For Potato & Broccoli Galette
Potato 2 pcs ( big Potatoes )
Broccoli 120g
Onion 2pc ( Chopped )
Salt To Taste
Pepper A pinch
Leeks 1/2
Garlic 2 cloves ( Chopped )
For Celeriac Sauce
Lemon. 1no.
Celeriac Root 150g
Butter 10g
Cream 120ml
Salt To taste
For Garnish - Micro-herbs
METHOD -
FOR SCALLOPS -
Wash the scallops and pat dry with clean cloth , Add olive oil, salt , pepper and thyme. Take a non stick pan , pour olive oil and once it become hot , add the scallop ( Do not stir the pan once you put scallops on it) cook for 1 mon. and then turn it on the other side . Then cook for 2min. each side and then off flame
FOR GALETTE
2. Wash and peel the potatoes , Cut the potatoes in small dice and keep it for boiling
for around 10 to 12 min. Check it before off flame the potatoes and keep aside .
3. Now grate the broccoli and keep aside , Chop the onion, Chop garlic and leeks and
keep aside.
4. Take a pan, put it on a cooking range , add olive oil , onion and garlic , sauce a bit
add leeks , sauce a bit then add grated broccoli and cook al the ingredients nicely.
Once the ingredients cooked, cool it and mix with the potatoes with the help of
fork. Once all mix nicely turn the mixture into the balls about 25g each and then
flatten to form cakes .
5. To cook, heat a large skillet over medium heat, add little bit of olive oil, cook 4 to 5
min. until the bottom is golden and then flip it and do the same .
FOR CELERIAC AND LEMON SAUCE
6. Peel the Celeriac root and ut into small dices , Add cream into the pot and the dices
of celeriac root . Cook the celeriac root until become soft . Add the seasoning . Once
it is cooked properly , keep aside to cool and then blend it.
7. Take a small pot, put gain the blended sauce in the pot and finish it with butter and
lemon drops.
8. Serve as Shown in the pic , Garnish with Micro Herbs .
RECIPE BY - CHEF ASHISH
SOUS CHEF
SAADIYAT ROTANA & VILLA