Bacon-wrapped Sea Scallops on Barbecued Duck with Sweet Corn Sauce
Dean Fearing combines the wonderful flavors of Southwestern cooking in one dish. The smoky barbecued chopped duck serves as a base to hold large crispy fried sea scallops wrapped in bacon. Corn sauce and red pepper sauce decorate the plate with gold and red colors as well as Fearing’s signature depth of flavor. The duck may be made a day ahead, refrigerated overnight, and reheated before serving. As a bonus, Dean Fearing’s Mansion Pepper Mix recipe follows.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Seed Powder
- Mexican-style pumpkin seeds (pepitos) - 1 cup
- Sweet Corn Sauce
- Canola oil - 1 tablespoon
- Onion - 1, chopped
- Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
- Corn Kernels - 2 cups fresh
- Chicken Stock - 2 cups
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/4 cup
- Thyme - 2 sprigs fresh
- Salt and fresh lemon juice to taste
- Red Pepper Sauce
- Canola oil - 1 tablespoon
- Shallot - 2, chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
- Arbol Chili - 1, seeded and deribbed
- Ginger - 1 tablespoon grated
- Red Bell Peppers - 2, seeded, deribbed, and chopped
- Chicken Stock - 1 cup
- Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, stems
- Salt and fresh lemon juice to taste
- Barbecued Duck
- Whole Duck - 1
- Salt
- Mansion Pepper Mix - To taste (recipe follows)
- Canola oil - 1 tablespoon
- Onion - 1, diced
- Barbecue Sauce - 1 cup
- Lime juice - To taste
- Sea Scallops
- Bacon - 4 slices smoked
- Sea Scallops - 4 large (size: 6 – 8/pound)
- Salt
- Semolina Flour - 2 tablespoons
- Canola oil - 2 tablespoons
- Serrano Chili - 2, roasted, cut in half, seeded, and deribbed
- Cilantro - 4 sprigs
- Mansion Pepper Mix
- Freshly ground black peppercorns - 3/4 cup
- Freshly ground white peppercorns - 1/4 cup
- Cayenne Pepper - 1-1/2 teaspoons
Instructions
To make the pumpkin seed powder: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 5 – 8 minutes, until toasted and dried. Remove and let cool. Place in a food processor and pulse until the texture resembles coarse meal.
To make the corn sauce: Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 1 minute. Do not allow them to color. Add the corn and chicken stock, bring to a boil, and add the thyme and cream if using. Reduce to simmer and cook about 20 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove the thyme and puree in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and season with salt and lemon juice. Keep warm over tepid water or in a thermos until ready to use.
To make the pepper sauce: Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and chili and saute 1 minute. Add the ginger, red peppers, chicken stock, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove the cilantro stems and puree in a blender until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and season with salt and lime juice. Pour into a squeeze bottle.
To make the barbecued duck: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Clean the duck and rub the duck skin and cavity with salt and the pepper mix until well seasoned. Place in a roasting pan and roast 60 – 75 minutes, until completely cooked through but not dried. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool, remove and discard the skin and remove the meat from the carcass; save the bones for stock. Cut the meat in 1/4-inch dice. Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 1 minute. Add the duck meat and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil over medium heat and season with salt and lime juice. Remove from heat and keep warm until ready to use.
To prepare the scallops: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place bacon on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until half cooked and softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and let cool. Wrap each scallop with a slice of bacon and hold in place with a toothpick. Season with salt and dredge in semolina. Heat canola oil in a medium ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat. Place the scallops in the pan and brown on one side, about 1 minute. Turn and place in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes.
To serve: Place 2 tablespoons of barbecued duck in the center of each serving plate. Place 1 scallop on top of each mound of barbecued duck. Ladle corn sauce around the duck. Outline the corn sauce with red peppersSauce, sprinkle with pumpkin seed powder, and garnish with a cilantro sprig and 1/2 serrano chili.
Mansion Pepper Mix
Mix the peppers together and store in an airtight jar.
