Scallop Salad
Scallops are cooked in an acidic mixture of lime juice, wine, and vinegar, like ceviche escoviched fish. The presentation is pretty, with bright green endive leaf points, a curly lettuce “blossom,” phyllo discs, and dabs of roe
Ingredients
- Tapenade
- Black Olives - 1/2 cup, pitted
- Anchovy - 1
- Capers - 1 tablespoon
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Marinade
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Carrots - 2, pared and chopped
- Red Onion - 1/2 small, diced
- Fish stock - 1/2 cup (alt.clam juice)
- Fish Bones - 1/2 cup
- Trout Eggs (roe) - 1 tablespoon
- Dry white wine - 1/4 cup
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Phyllo Pastry - 2 sheets, thawed
- Clarified Butter - 1/4 cup
- Scallops
- Sea Scallops - 20 large
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Lime Juice - 6 limes
- Dry white wine - 1/4 cup
- Tarragon Vinegar - 3/4 cup
- Pink Peppercorn Husks - 2 tablespoons
- Sauce
- Reserved marinade (above)
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Paprika - 1 teaspoon
- Endive Leaves - 20, cut into long triangles
- Curly Lettuce - 4 strips
- Parsley - 1 sprig
- Fresh mint leaves - 1 sprig
- Cilantro (coriander) - 1 sprig
- Trout roe - 4 tablespoons
Instructions
To prepare the tapenade: Chop the olives, anchovy, and capers together into a fine mash. Place in a shallow dish with the olive oil and press together with the back of a heavy spoon. Set aside.
To prepare the marinade: Put the butter, carrot, and onion in a large saucepan and cook over mediumñhigh heat until softened. Add the fish stock, bones and eggs, wine, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook about 10 minutes to marry the flavors. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and cool.
Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread one sheet of phyllo on a work surface and brush with the melted butter. Top with the second sheet and brush with butter again. Cut out 1ñ1/4ñinch circles with a pastry cutter and place on the prepared sheet. Make at least 20 circles. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove and keep warm.
To prepare the scallops. Put the scallops in a non-aluminum bowl, season with salt and pepper, and cover with the lime juice, wine, and tarragon vinegar. Turn the scallops to coat, then set aside for 10 to 15 minutes; the scallops will “cook” and turn opaque. Add the marinade and peppercorn husks and let stand 10 minutes. Drain, reserving the marinade for the sauce. If desired, heat a branding iron or skewer over high heat and use to “brand” the scallops with crosshatched seared lines
To make the sauce: Put the marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook down until reduced by three-fourths in volume. Stir in the butter and paprika. When the butter is melted, whisk the sauce vigorously or whip with a stick beater to create froth. Set aside.
To serve: Place 5 dots of black olive tapenade around each plate. Place a scallop on each. Roll a piece of lettuce up to display the frilled edge like a flower and place in the center of each plate between the scallops. Place phyllo rounds between the scallops. Place endive leaves between the scallops, points out. Spoon sauce around the scallops and phyllo. Garnish with bits of mint, chives, and coriander. Top each scallop with a little roe.
