Scallops & Carrots
Pfeww. What a week this has been. I will spare you the details but while hurricane Sandy was raging outside I took the time to organize food photos I’ve taken over the past year or so. At least that’s what I did until we lost power but that’s another story. I came across this dish I made after spending too much time browsing through the pages of the beautiful Eleven Madison Square Park cookbook which you must buy if you haven’t already done so.
It reminded me talking to a cook at Eleven Madison Park once about their style of plating and he told me that they were asked to think outside the box and taught to build whimsical miniature amusement parks on the plate. I had leftovers. So I built a miniature amusement park of my own.
I love the delicate flavor of scallops and to highlight their natural sweetness I played with the different flavors and textures of the mighty carrot: roasted, pureed and pickled. Carrots enjoy a surge in popularity and as serious cooks know, “freshly dug” is as important for carrots as “diver” is for sea scallops. So don’t skimp on quality or it won’t be worth it. Sometimes dishes are born of just what is around and in this case it was quail eggs, purple potatoes, blood orange and bottarga which respectively provided richness, crunch, tartness and umami. Don’t look at me with those eyes. It worked.
This post is not meant as an exact recipe (although I’m more happy to provide it) but rather as an inspiration on creating your own dish and presentation. What started off as me playing around with a few ingredients resulted in an accidental dish with a surprisingly good balance. Now go dig up something in your refrigerator, cook it up, and come back to show it off on zenspotting.
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Scallops & Carrots Three Ways
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- Serves 4
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Scallops:
- 8 scallops, cleaned and dried
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
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Carrot puree:
- 3 large organic carrots
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and white pepper to taste
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Pickled carrots:
- 8 ounces organic baby carrots
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
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Roasted carrots:
- 8 ounces organic baby carrots
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
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Finish:
- 8 quail eggs, pan fried
- small purple potatoes, sliced and fried until crispy
- blood orange segments
- bottarga, grated on microplane
- herbs
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Scallops:
- Season the scallops on both side with salt and pepper. Heat the grapeseed oil in a medium pan until very hot.
- Sear the scallops until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn them over and cook 30 seconds longer. Add the butter to the pan and, using a spoon, baste the scallops with the foamy butter until glazed, about a minute longer.
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Carrot puree:
- Peel the carrots and cut into chunks. Place in a pan and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Cook until tender. Strain reserving some of the cooking liquid.
- Place the cooked carrots in the bowl of a food processor, add a little of the cooking liquid, butter, cumin and salt and pepper. Process until light and fluffy. Adjust seasoning and keep warm.
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Pickled carrots:
- Prepare brine, bringing vinegar, water, sugar, honey and salt to a boil for 1 minute. Add spices and bay leaves and boil for 1 minute.
- Trim and scrub the carrots and blanch them in salted water for 1-2 minutes. Drain and cool quickly using ice cold water.
- Pour brine over carrots, let it cool, refrigerate overnight before using. The pickled carrots will last for weeks in the refrigerator.
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Rosted carrots:
- Preheat oven to 375’F
- Trim and scrub the carrots. Place on a baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Roast the carrots until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 20 minutes depending on size.
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Finishing:
- Serve the scallops on a bed of carrot puree. Top with a quail egg. Garnish with roasted and pickled carrots, crispy purple potatoes, blood orange segments and bottarga. Garnish with herbs.