Grilled scallops, creamy watercress and crumble of hazelnuts
The peppery note of watercress and the sweet, rich flavor of scallops complement each other perfectly. Alain Ducasse discovered this long ago when he created the dish velouté of watercress with scallops and caviar. The famous master chef is a source of inspiration for chefs and foodies worldwide. Every now and then I browse through his recipes and drift through the world of haute cuisine only to come back down with my feet on the ground and start working on my own imagination.
Recipe
This delicate dish must be prepared with care and attention to obtain a beautiful result. Preheat 4 shallow plates in a warming drawer or in a lukewarm oven.
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 8 Scallops
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 250 g spinach
- 2 bunches watercress
- ½ L chicken stock
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks
- Pepper and fleur de sel
- 1 slice white country bread
- 50 g hazelnuts
- Maldon salt
-
Step 1: velouté of watercress
Remove the stalks from the spinach and watercress and rinse the leaves thoroughly. Keep a few watercress leaves aside to use as garnish. Add salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Blanch the vegetables, transfer them in ice-cold water with a slotted spoon. Now, drain the leaves, push out any excess water by hand and blend to a puree. For an extra-fine result, you can rub the puree through a fine sieve.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil and mix in the green puree. Remove the bowl from the heat so you retain the deep green color of the vegetables. Whisk the egg yolks under the cream and carefully add a ladleful of the green stock. Now pour the cream into the rest of the soup. Season to taste with pepper and fleur de sel. Set the velouté in the fridge.
-
Step 2: crumble of hazelnuts
Toast the slice of bread until golden. Roast the hazelnuts. Crush the toast and hazelnuts and mix into a crumble.
-
Step 3: the scallops
Cut the scallops in half horizontally so that you have 16 flat round pieces. Rub in with olive oil. Heat a grilling pan and sear the scallops very briefly, 30 seconds per side, just to have nice grilling marks. Season with pepper and fleur de sel.
-
Step 4: finishing
Heat the watercress velouté over medium heat without boiling. Ladle the velouté in the warmed plates and arrange 4 pieces of scallops per plate on top. Sprinkle some crumble on top and finish with a few drops of olive oil and Maldon salt.
![3x Festive Scallaps 0144]()
