We’re going to make a delicious scallops & leek dish. It’s a pan seared scallop that we are serving with a roe crispy, a fermented leek cream, a green leek & dill coulis, a Shiso tempura and a beautiful hollandaise.
How to clean the scallops
Carefully insert a thin knife in the scallop on the flat shell and cut the scallop loose. Now open up the shell and break the joint. Then take a thin spoon and insert it between the scallop and the muscle next to it. Now twist the spoon and scoop out the scallop. Put the scallops in some water and add ice to cool them down for 5 minutes. After that remove any membranes from the scallops and place them next to each other on a kitchen paper. Then cover them and keep them in your fridge for later.
The scallop roe crisp
90 grams | scallop roe |
700 grams | water |
100 grams | rice |
5 grams | salt |
4 grams | smoked piment powder |
First remove the orange roe from the shells and keep them in your fridge. Then pour the water in a saucepan together with the rice and the salt. Bring this to a boil on a medium heat till the rice is fully overcooked and the water is almost all vaporized. After that pour it into a blender and also add 90 grams of the scallop’s roe. Then season it with the smoked piment powder and blend it till completely smooth. This takes around 5 minutes. Once it’s smooth pour it on a silicon sheet and spread it using a pallet knife. It needs to be around 2 millimeters thick. Now let it dry in an oven or heat draw at 60 degrees Celsius for around 6 hours till all the moisture is gone. Then we need to deep fry it. Do this in some frying oil that’s 200 degrees Celsius. Just submerge the crisp and keep it submerged for around 3 seconds. Then directly take it out of the oil to prevent it from becoming too bitter. Be careful because the oil is very hot. Now let them cool down and then you can keep them dry and covered for later.
The fermented leek cream
4 | leek |
| water |
| salt |
200 grams | cream |
| Xanthan gum |
Cut off the roots from the leeks and then also the green part. Keep the green leek for later. Now make an incision to the middle of the leek and wash it well under running cold water. Then cut it in even thick rings. Now transfer the leek into a preserving jar and press it down a bit. Then submerge the leek completely with water. After weigh the jar. An empty jar weighs 600 grams and now it weights 1600 grams, so the water and leek weigh 1000 grams. Then add 1.5% salt. So, in this case 15 grams. Press it down once more. Now close the lid and gently mix it to dissolve the salt. Then open it up and remove the sealing ring. If you don’t do this, it might explode. Label it and then let it ferment for 6 or 7 days. Every other day I pressed it down and tasted it until I was happy with the flavor. I fermented mine for 7 days. Once it’s fermented drain the water and keep it for the sauce. Then transfer the leek into a pan and cover it with the cream. Now bring this to a boil and then let it simmer for 15 minutes. I only add the cream for some fattiness, for me it doesn’t need any other flavor. The leek is already delicious! Then transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Once it smooth add a touch of xanthan gum and blend it for another minute. This will prevent the cream from splitting. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.
The green leek and dill coulis
| The green part from the four leeks |
150 grams | white wine |
250 grams | vegetable broth |
5 grams | salt |
30 grams | dill leaves |
| Xanthan gum |
Start by chopping the green part of the four leeks and then transfer it into a colander. Now wash it well under running cold water and then let it drain for a couple of minutes. Then transfer it into a big pan and also add the white wine, the vegetable broth and the salt. Now we need to cover it slightly. For that fold a piece of parchment paper a couple of times to the same corner and then cut it to the desired size with a scissor. Also cut a small hole in the center. Now unfold it and cover the leeks with the paper. Then let it simmer of a medium heat till the leeks are fully cooked. Just take your time for this. Meanwhile we can pick the dill. In total you’ll need 30 grams of dill leaves. Once the leeks are cooked remove the paper and transfer it into a blender. Also add the picked dill leaves and then blend it till smooth. The dill will color the coulis and give a nice flavor. Then add a touch of xanthan gum to prevent it from splitting. After that pour it into a jar and cool it down as fast as possible to prevent it from losing its color.
The tempura Shiso leaves
20 grams | rice flour |
30 grams | flour |
10 grams | cornstarch |
3 grams | salt |
100 grams | ice cold water |
25 grams | whole egg |
| Green shiso leaves |
First mix the rice flour with the flour, the cornstarch and the salt. Then while stirring add the ice cold water and the whole egg. Once it’s smooth directly stop mixing it prevent too much gluten from forming. Then the Shiso. Take a couple of leaves, cut the stem off, and cut them in half. Now submerge them in the batter and place the leaves on the side so all the access batter can drip off. For this I prefer a super thin layer. Now deep fry them at 160 degrees Celsius and base some of the hot oil on top for an more even frying process. When the Shiso leaf stops bubbling gently take it out of the oil and continue frying. Then season them with salt and keep them dry and covered for later. You can also deep fry a whole leaf and use it to cover dish. It looks great and both the texture and flavor are beautiful!
The hollandaise
| The fermented leek water |
40 grams | white wine vinegar |
100 grams | egg yolk |
100 grams | cold cubes of butter |
1 tablespoon | store bought mayonnaise |
First reduce the fermented leek water till it weighs 100 grams. Then add the white wine vinegar and while mixing with a hand blender add the egg yolk. Directly blend some air in the mixture as well. After while beating it heat it up till the sauce starts to thicken and it’s cooked. Then turn off the heat and directly add the cold cubes of butter to prevent the sauce from overcooking. Now I also add a small amount of store bought mayonnaise. The stabilizers in the mayo will stabilize the sauce making it far more full proof when you want to reheat it. Now you can use it like this or transfer it into a siphon. In a siphon the hollandaise will become much airier, but it will be a lot easier or reheat it.
How to finish the dish
First season the scallops with some salt and pan sear them in a hot pan with some oil. Once they start to color add a couple knots of butter and let them fry till golden brown. Then turn them around and base them with the hot butter for 30 seconds. Now pipe a small dot of the hot leek cream on a plate and place the scallop on top. Season it with some flaky salt. Then pipe the lukewarm green leek coulis around the scallop and place a piece of the roe crispy on top. Now place a couple spoons of the hot hollandaise on the plate as well and then decorate it with the crispy Shiso leaf and dust some smoked piment on top!