Scallops are in my top three favourite ingredients ever; I love to prepare them as much as I love to cook with them. If you can afford to, I really recommend buying hand-dived scallops, which are sourced sustainably and gathered in a way that respects the ocean floor. To save you some prep, ask your fishmonger to remove the scallops from their shells, take off the skirt that sits around the white meat, and retain the roe. 

This dish is quite quick and easy to make, and the butter freezes really well (store leftovers in the fridge for three days, or the freezer for six months). Enjoy with a crisp, cold Pilsner or white wine and you’re winning!

Timings

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves

4

Ingredients

For the butter

  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 50ml brandy
  • 250g salted butter, softened
  • 35g capers
  • 100g roasted red peppers, tinned or from a jar, finely diced
  • 10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
  • ½ tsp English mustard powder
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce

For the scallops

  • 12 scallops in their shells (including the roe)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • grated zest of 1 lemon
  • grated zest of 1 lime

To serve

  • lemon wedges
  • lime wedges

Method

  1. First, make the Café de Paris butter. Add the shallot, lemon juice and brandy to a small saucepan.
  2. Over a medium heat, reduce the lemon juice and brandy until the liquid has evaporated.
  3. Place the softened butter in a bowl and add the shallot mixture and lemon zest along with the remaining ingredients. Mix well and roll into logs inside a piece of baking parchment. I usually get about 3 logs from this mixture.
  4. Place the logs in the fridge to chill until firm. Preheat the grill to hot, or the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.
  5. Season the scallops lightly all over. Drizzle each scallop with olive oil then place a 20g disc of Café de Paris butter on top. Transfer the shells to an oven tray and place under the grill or in the oven.
  6. Cook the scallops for 4-5 minutes. They are beautifully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 45-47C – an inexpensive digital meat probe will give you consistent results every time.
  7. Arrange the cooked scallops on a platter and scatter with lemon and lime zest. Cut the lemon and lime into wedges to serve alongside.

Recipe from For the Love of Food by Paul Ainsworth (Pavilion Books, £26)

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