It is scallop season again!  There are two scallop seasons – June to August and December to February. Our preference is always to serve hand dived Orkney scallops, or if that isn’t possible then farmed scallops – avoid buying those that have been collected through dredging as this causes damage to the seabed.

The recipe below is lovely as an Amuse Bouche, but can be easily adapted to form a starter by making more scallops and serving them on a bed of wild rocket.

Scallops with Pancetta & Coriander

Serves approximately: 4 People

Preparation time: 30 Minutes

Cooking time 5-10 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large, cleaned scallops (keep the shells)
  • A Teaspoon of chopped coriander & few leaves for garnish
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 50g Pancetta, cubed
  • Salt & Pepper 

Method:

  1. Heat oven to 1600
  2. Heat a frying pan to medium high, add 50g butter and cook until it foams (but does not burn), season the scallops and then seal on both sides. Remove and put onto a baking tray, then into the oven for 3-4 minutes while you make the sauce.
  3. In the same pan you fried the scallops in, add 25g more butter to what is already there and add 50g chopped pancetta. Cook until golden.
  4. Add the chopped coriander and the zest of 1 lime to the pan.
  5. Remove scallops from the oven and place one in each shell.
  6. Tilt the frying pan and spoon the pancetta/lime/coriander butter mixture over the top of each one.
  7. Decorate with fresh coriander leaves and serve.

There are variations of this dish which include using chorizo, chopped fresh tomatoes and a parsley or even spring onion, chilli and bacon. Whichever you prefer, enjoy!

In Season this month

Fruits & Nuts
Cherries, Elderflowers, Rhubarb

Vegetables & Herbs
Artichoke, Asparagus, Aubergine, Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Chillies, Courgettes, Fennel, French Beans, Garlic, Lettuce, Mangetout, New Potatoes, Onions, Pak Choi, Peas, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Samphire, Spinach, Spring Onions, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Nettles

Meat & Game
Lamb, Wood pigeon

Fish & Shellfish
Cod, Coley, Crab, Haddock, Hailbut, Herring, Langoustine, Plaice, Pollack, Prawns, Salmon, Sardines, Scallops (Queen), Sea Bream, Sea Trout, Shrimp, Squid, Whelks, Whitebait

Going out of season
Asparagus, Elderflower, Gooseberry, Hare, New Potatoes

www.suzannejames.co.uk