Scallops with spring onion, ginger, and carrots

This is a West Indian recipe, adapted from ‘Original Flava‘  to suit my taste and the ingredients in the garden. It is very easy, and can be cooked on a barbeque, but it is terribly midgy just now, so we skipped that bit. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 500g scallops, cut into quarters
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 5 large spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp scotch bonnet paste (very spicy, use less if you wish)
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 250g carrots, grated
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil

METHOD:

  • Put all of the ingredients into a container with a lid, and put the container in the fridge for at least four hours
  • Take a roll of tin foil, and tear off two pieces large enough to make a parcel with half of the mixture each. Spread the mixture onto the tin foil, and fold it over, crimping the edges to make the parcels air tight. Put the parcels onto a baking sheet.
  • Heat the oven to 180C, and put the parcels into the oven, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the contents are hot. 
  • Serve with wedges of lime or lemon. 

I’m sure you could use other vegetables as well, such as celeriac, or bulb fennel. 

 

Scallop Risotto

More food for the wet cyclists. They said they liked fish, so I made Scallop Risotto using locally sourced scallops. I served a side dish of carrots and asparagus. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 600g prepared scallops
  • 100g butter
  • 4 tbsp brandy
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 500g risotto rice
  • 1.2 litres of fish stock
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley
  • 1 handful of chive flowers
  • 4 tbsp double cream

METHOD:

  • Separate the scallops from the corals, and chop the scallop meat into chunks the size of the end of your thumb
  • Heat half the butter, and fry the scallops for 3 minutes or so. 
  • Pour over the brandy, and when it is hot, light it to flambe the scallops. When the flames die down, season with salt and pepper
  • Next, heat the rest of the butter in another pan, and gently fry the finely chopped onion until soft. 
  • Add the rice and fry until the rice is really hot. 
  • Pour on the stock, one ladleful at a time, waiting for each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. 
  • When the rice is mostly cooked, add the cooked scallops with all the juices, along with the corals and the parsley. Stir together, and keep adding the stock as before. 
  • When the risotto is creamy, and the grains still have a little bite to them, take off the heat and stir in the cream. 
  • After a couple of minutes, transfer to a warmed platter and garnish with chive flowers before serving.