3.) Seared Irish Scallops with Black Pudding Croquettes
Ireland steps it up a notch with this stellar dish from Executive Head Chef Philippe Farineau from Mount Falcon Method. This is the dish for those who want to spend a lot of time making something absolutely divine out of these delicious mollusks.
In Ireland, scallops are generally harvested from the wild. There are two species fished in Irish waters: the King Scallop (Pecten maximus), and the smaller Queen Scallop (Aequipecten opercularuis), which is the less common of the two species.
North East Atlantic scallops from the Irish Sea benefit from the deep clean waters of the coast of Northern Ireland. The King Scallop has a variety of names including the great scallop, king scallop, St James shell (Saint Jacques in France), or escallop. This edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk from the Pectinidae family, is an integral part of Irish cuisine, particularly around the coast.
Seared Irish Scallops with Black Pudding Croquettes
Ingredients:
- 8 Large king scallops
- Cauliflower (A good sized caulflower as it's needed for several components of the dish)
- Bread for breadcrumbs
- Some sorrell for serving (optional)
Ingredients for the batter
- 250 ml lager beer
- eggs + 3 eggs white whipped hard
- 200gr flour
- 20 ml oil
Ingredients for the sauce:
- 2 string of fresh lavender (or dried)
- 250 ml beef stock
Ingredients for black pudding croquette:
- 250gr of Kelly ‘s butcher black pudding
- 50 gr of onion & apple puree
Method:
For the batter:
- Take a large mixing bowl and add the sieved flour with 2 eggs and the oil.
- Poor the beer and whisk it well.
- Add the 3 hard whipped eggs whites delicately to the mixture.
- Keep in the fridge until ready to use (up to 2 days maximum).
For the Sauteed Cauliflower:
- Divide the cauliflower into 3 large bouquets. For this part, take 8 small sections of the cauliflower bouquet, keeping the stems.
- Pan fry it slowly in a frying pan with a dash of olive oil, butter and a drop of water.
- You should have a nice golden color on one side then turn it and finish to cook it slowly.
- You may need to add some water. Keep it hot.
For the Cauliflower puree:
- Cut half of the cauliflower and thin slices, discarding the stem this time.
- Place in a saucepan with 25cl of milk, season with salt and pepper and cover with a lid.
- Cook over a medium heat for about 12 minutes until tender.
- Remove some of the milk and transfer to an upright blender and blend until a very smooth puree. Keep it hot.
For the Cauliflower Beignet
- Keep some smaller buds of cauliflower and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.
- Refresh straight away under cold water.
- Dip the small cauliflower into the batter mix and fry it in a hot oil (180 degrees) for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy.
For the Sauce:
- Boil the beef stock and infuse the lavender for few minutes.
For the Black Pudding Croquette:
- Blend the black pudding and add the puree.
- Pipe the mix onto a parchment paper, size of a finger and freeze it.
- You should have about 8 pieces.
- Breadcrumb the pieces when you're ready to serve the dish and deep fat fry the croquette before you serve it.
Finish the dish:
- Sear 8 Large king scallops quickly in a hot pan, 2 minutes each side.
- Serve each person 2 scallops with a spoon of cauliflower puree, 2-3 nice golden crispy cauliflower beignet and 1 sauteed cauliflower, 2 fingers of deep fried black pudding
- Additional touches: add a few leaves of the wood sorrel and a little drizzle of the lavender sauce.
