Roast scallop, watercress, orange and carrot salad
This scallop salad has a touch of finesse about it – as you'd expect from a Michelin-starred chef. Fresh and zingy, it's a delicious summery way to eat scallops. Perfect as a starter, or add crusty bread for a light tasty lunch.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3–4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 oranges, juice only
- 1g finely chopped fresh tarragon (about 1 tsp)
- 4 large carrots, 2 sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler and 2 finely sliced
- ½ tsp olive oil, for frying
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp rapeseed oil
- sprig of thyme
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú scallops (roes discarded)
- 1 small/medium orange, peeled and segmented
- 200g/7oz watercress
- 5 tsp cocoa nibs (optional)
Method
Pour the white wine vinegar and vegetable oil into a bowl. Add the orange juice, thyme and tarragon to make the dressing. Place the carrot ribbons in the dressing.
Gently fry the carrot slices in the olive oil until soft. Put cooked carrots and xanthan gum into a blender then blitz to a purée.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the thyme sprig and scallops and cook for 1–2 minutes on one side, or until coloured on the underside. Flip over and cook for a further minute, or until firm but still buttery. They can be overdone very quickly so keep an eye on them.
Arrange the orange segments in a circle on the serving plates. Add the scallops in between the segments. Dress with watercress and scatter over the cocoa nibs, if using. Add the carrots ribbons and pipe dots of the carrot purée around the plates.