This scallop recipe was created by chef JP McMahon of the Michelin-starred Aniar Restaurant in Galway.
JP pairs the scallops with mussels cooked simply in white wine, onion, garlic and thyme, an oyster mayonnaise, a buttermilk foam, and poached, charred and grilled leeks – a true showcase of the spoils of the sea and the finest of Irish ingredients.
Serves 4, as a starter
Ingredients:
– 8 scallops, roe removed
– Sea salt
For the leeks & wild garlic
– 4 wild leeks (you can use baby leeks or scallions instead)
– Wild garlic flowers
For the oyster mayonnaise
– 4 oysters, opened juice reserved
– 200ml light rapeseed oil
– Sea salt
For the mussels
– 500g wild mussels
– Onion, chopped
– Garlic, minced
– 2 sprigs of thyme
– 150ml white wine
For the buttermilk foam
– 200ml cream
– 100ml buttermilk
– 200ml mussel stock
– 3 gelatine leaves
– Sea salt
Method:
1. Cook the mussels in the white wine, onion, garlic and thyme until they open. Strain and reserve the juice.
2. To make the buttermilk foam: Warm the stock and cream. Bloom the gelatine and dissolve into the mix. Add the buttermilk, season and pour into a siphon gun and charge twice. Keep warm.
3. To make the oyster mayonnaise: place the four oysters with their juices in a plastic container. With the aid of blender, emulsify the oil into the oyster. Season to taste.
4. Cut the leeks in three. Poach in simmering water until soft. Place on a ripped grill and char.
5. Pan fry the scallops in hot oil until the one side is brown and crispy. Turn over in the pan and add some butter. Reduce heat and baste the scallops until they are cooked. Ensure the scallop is still translucent in the centre.
6. To serve: place the grilled leaks on the plate. Add a little oyster mayonnaise. Arrange two scallops around the leeks. Warm the mussels and dress around the leek. Finish with the buttermilk sauce.
JP McMahon is a chef, restaurateur and author. He is culinary director of the EatGalway Restaurant Group, which comprises of Michelin-starred Aniar Restaurant, award-winning Spanish restaurant Cava Bodega, and Eat Gastropub – which has inspired his next cookbook Gastropub Revolution. He also runs the Aniar Boutique Cookery School.
JP is the founder and plays host to one of the biggest and most talked about international food events in Europe, Food On The Edge.
For more information on the EatGalway Restaurant Group visit www.eatgalway.ie.
JP McMahon EatGalway