WORDS BY Nathan Outlaw
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
12 scallops, shucked and prepped, roes retained
8 new potatoes, cooked and halved
Zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon chopped coriander (cilantro)
8 tablespoons white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lime wedges, to serve
For the bread sauce:
100g (3½oz) whole blanched hazelnuts
120g (4¼oz) good crustless bread, cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons lime juice
200ml (7fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
For the red peppers:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 celery stick, sliced into thin half moons
1 x 480g (17oz) jar of chargrilled red (bell) peppers in vinegar brine, drained and chopped
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
Alternative fish:
Little chunks of monkfish or hake, cooked the same way
TIP: The most common scallops in the UK are the Great Atlantics and the Queens. In America you’ll find bay scallops or sea scallops. You can work out how old they are by counting the rings on their shells!
Method
First make the bread sauce. Preheat the oven to 190°C Fan (410°F), Gas Mark 6½. Spread the hazelnuts out onto a tray and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden and roasted. Meanwhile, cover the bread with water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
Place the hazelnuts, garlic and cumin in a food processor and pulse until fine. Squeeze the excess water out of the bread, then add it to the food processor with the lime juice, and some salt and pepper. With the motor running on the food processor, add the oil in a steady stream. Once all the oil has been incorporated, taste the bread sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lime juice. If too thick, add a little water.
Refrigerate until needed.
Now make the red (bell) pepper mix. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, celery and red peppers and season with salt and pepper, then cook for a further 5 minutes. Finally, add the thyme, stir everything together and transfer to a tray to cool.
To cook the scallops, turn the oven up to 220°C Fan (475°F), Gas Mark 9. On a clean work surface, lay out 4 large sheets of baking parchment paper (roughly 30 x 30cm/12 x 12in). Divide the red pepper mix into 4 equal portions and arrange over one half of each sheet of parchment. Place 3 scallops on top of each portion, together with 3 halves of cooked potato then season with salt, pepper, lime zest and the coriander. Fold over the paper and crimp the edges so they are firmly pressed, leaving you with a parcel. Leave a small opening to allow you to pour 2 tablespoons of white wine into each parcel. Seal the last hole up by folding it down tightly. If the quality of the paper isn’t great, you may need to use 2 sheets for each parcel or add a layer of foil on the outside. The aim is that the moisture inside doesn’t escape - this is really important!
Place the parcels on a large baking tray and cook for 15 minutes. Once the scallops are baked, leave them to rest out of the oven for 5 minutes and then serve. Let whoever you are cooking for open their own parcel. Serve the bread sauce on the side at room temperature with lime wedges.
Extracted from Fish for Dinner by Nathan Outlaw (Kyle Books, £28) Photography by Kate Whitaker. Cover illustration by Clover Robin