Seared Scallops on Grapefruit With a Pea Purée

Monégasque Cuisine: Monaco is a small country, located in Southern Europe. Having a subtropical climate and mountain relief, Monaco gets a lot of tourists. Due to its close position to Nice river and to the fact that is located on the Mediterranean coast, Monaco built a great industry of fish processing; this industry represents a high percent of the exports and it is also reflective of the Monaco people’s diet.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Courses: Starters & Salads

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 4

Dietary: Pescatarian

Ingredients

Scallops

12 Patagonian scallops
1 lemon
1 clove garlic
salt
black pepper
1/3 tsp Old Bay seasoning
butter

Salad

2 tbsp capers
40 g Swiss chard
12 segments grapefruit (one segment per scallop)
2 tbsp melted butter

Pea Purée

500 g frozen peas
salt
85 ml lemon juice

Instructions

1
Wash the scallops thoroughly and lightly season with a little salt, black pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and add the scallops for approximately 60 to 90 seconds each side until golden brown, turning halfway.
Pat the scallops very dry before seasoning and searing; surface moisture prevents a good crust. Cook in a single uncrowded layer and use the stated time only as a guide because scallop size varies.
2
Drizzle the juice of half a lemon in the skillet and baste the scallops, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Remove the scallops promptly once cooked; residual pan heat continues cooking them and can quickly make them firm or rubbery.
3
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the peas for 3 minutes. Add the peas to a blender along with a little water. Using the pulse function to begin with blitz the peas, adding more liquid in small amounts as required. Blend for no more than 2 to 3 minutes until a fairly thick but smooth purée has been achieved.
Add the liquid gradually so the purée remains thick enough to plate. If blending while the peas are still very hot, allow steam to escape and avoid overfilling a jug blender.
4
Push the purée through a fine sieve and use the back of a spoon to push it through, this will give you an even more silky finish.
5
Taste the purée and season with salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Finally, cool the pea purée as quickly as possible, this will prevent the colour from fading.
If the purée is being cooled for later use rather than served immediately, cool it promptly and refrigerate it once chilled.
6
Place the capers and chard leaves into a dry bowl and pour on 2 tbsp of the melted butter. Slice each grapefruit segment into two lengthways. Dress the plate with the grapefruit segments, the capers and chard, top with the scallops and place the purée sparingly around the dish.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories 215.93kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7.24g12%
Saturated Fat 3.97g20%
Cholesterol 14.91mg5%
Sodium 362.70mg16%
Potassium 502.80mg15%
Total Carbohydrate 24.91g9%
Dietary Fiber 8.18g33%
Sugars 11.22g
Protein 14.92g30%

Vitamin C 64.57 mg
Calcium 74.55 mg
Iron 2.83 mg
Vitamin D 0.06 IU

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.