Nathan Outlaw’s pan-fried scallops, creamed chicory, orange and tarragon dressing are a creamy blend of fresh seafood and moreish flavour
“This dish is very popular when it goes on any of our menus. The scallops we get are hand-dived off the south coast of Cornwall and have a unique texture and taste.
Our supply is dependent on the weather, so we treasure them as a luxury ingredient. Their incomparable sweet flavour and beautiful texture really shine through in this simple dish.”
Ingredients
• 16-20 fresh scallops, shelled and cleaned, (roes retained if in good condition)
• olive oil, for cooking
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
For the chicory:
• 2 chicory heads, outer leaves removed, shredded
• 50ml olive oil
• 75g unsalted butter
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 white onion, peeled and finely sliced
• 1/2 orange, zest finely grated and juiced
• 150ml double cream
For the orange and tarragon dressing:
• 1 orange
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
To finish:
• 3 teaspoons chopped tarragon
Method
1 For the chicory, heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil, butter and sugar. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. 2 Now add the chicory and cook for 2 minutes, turning from time to time.
3 Turn the heat down under the chicory to medium and add the orange zest and juice. Let the juice bubble away, then add the cream. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4 Meanwhile, for the dressing, cut the peel and pith from the orange and cut out the segments from the membranes over a bowl to catch any juice. Slice the orange segments and place in a bowl with the extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper. Set aside.
5 To cook the scallops, heat a non-stick pan until very hot. Season the scallops with salt and drizzle some olive oil into the pan.
6 Carefully place the scallops in the pan, one by one, remembering where you placed the first one.
7 Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 minutes. Now flip the scallops over in the same order you placed them in the pan and cook for a further minute.
8 Take the pan off the heat and allow the scallops to finish cooking in the residual heat.
To serve, warm up the creamed chicory if need be, then taste and correct the seasoning. 9 Divide the chicory between 4 warmed plates or shallow bowls and top each serving with 4 or 5 scallops.
10 Add a good drizzle of orange dressing and sprinkle with the chopped tarragon. Serve warm.
Recipe courtesy of Nathan Outlaw, extracted from Everyday Seafood © Quadrille.
