Sweet scallops paired with yellow pepper pureé and crunchy salsa makes a delicious treat for family and friends. Serve as a starter, and remember to buy fresh scallops, they should smell sweet, not fishy.
SERVES 4 AS A STARTER
- 8 scallops
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- ½ chilli, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 1 small bunch of coriander
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ red onion
- 1 mango
- ½ lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180C/ fan 170C/gas 5.
2. Slice the yellow pepper in quarters, remove seeds, drizzle with half the olive oil, and place, skin side up, in a baking tray for 35 minutes, until the skin blisters.
3. Once baked, wrap in clingfilm until cool. Once cooled, peel off the skins and pop in a frying pan alongside the chopped garlic.
4. Fry for a few minutes until the garlic is soft.
5. Remove from the heat, and pop in a blender, blitz until smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
6. To make the salsa, finely chop the red onion, red pepper and mango and add to a mixing bowl. Add the coriander, ginger, chilli and lime juice. Mix well. Set aside.
7. Debeard the scallops, rinse well under the cold tap, drain and pat them dry with a clean dish cloth.
8. Heat a frying pan on high heat with the remaining olive oil and place the scallops in the pan. Sear for 2 minutes on either side until golden in colour. Don’t overcook the scallops, or they will go rubbery.
9. Assemble the dish by placing the cooked scallops on a tablespoon of pepper pureé, and top with salsa.