Hand-dived scallops, kohlrabi, eviche and lemon
With beautiful hand-dived scallops from Rye, one is roasted with dried scallop roe and one ceviche which is diced raw and marinated in lemon and soy. Freshness is key to the flavours on this plate.
This dish brings us towards the start of spring, so with wild garlic foraged by our chefs from down the road in Hawkhurst, it brings the sweetness of the scallop with the bitterness of kohlrabi together with the fragrant wild garlic and sharp lemon, balancing all the elements together.
I think that it shows my style of cooking with simplicity and complexity joining together, with bold and classic flavours shining through while keeping the main element of the scallop singing its natural delicate flavour.
Recipe
To start the scallops are removed from the shell, carefully discarding the skirt and washing the roe ready to make the powder, the scallop left to one side till ready to plate.
Scallop roe powder:
20 scallop roes, 1 lemon, 1orange, 1lime zest peeled, 50g Sea salt, 50g sugar, 8g fennel pollen.
The scallop roe is boiled in salted water for 2 minutes, chilled and dried, they are then dehydrated for 12 hours with the citrus zests till crisp. They are added to the food processor along with the sea salt, sugar and fennel pollen and blended to a fine powder. (it is important that all the equipment is dry to achieve this)
Pickled kohlrabi: One large kohlrabi, 150g sugar, 150ml white wine vinegar, 150ml water.
Peel and then slice the kohlrabi to 3mm, cut into the disc and lay in a tray flat. Add the sugar water and vinegar to a pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling pour over the kohlrabi discs and leave to cool naturally.
Kohlrabi remoulade: 1 large kohlrabi, 1 lemon, olive oil, salt, sugar.
Peel the kohlrabi and grate on a fine zester onto a cloth, then squeeze the excess juice out and discard, season to taste with the olive oil, salt, sugar, lemon zest and juice to bring a nice consistency and balanced flavour. (taste buds are key here)
Lemon zest confit: 2 lemons, peel and julienne (fine strips) the zest, then blanch in boiling water three times. Chill then simmer in sugar syrup for one hour on a low heat.
Scallop ceviche: 1 scallop, 1⁄5 kohlrabi, 4 leaves wild garlic, soy and lemon dressing.
Fine dice the scallop and kohlrabi together in a mixing bowl, dice the wild garlic, sprinkle with salt and sugar. While this marinades make a soy dressing from 50mls dark soy sauce juice and zest of one lemon and one orange, whisk together with 70mls olive oil and 70mls vegetable oil till emulsified, then correct seasoning with salt and sugar. Once made, add to all other ingredients until it just combines (you will not need all the dressing), taste for seasoning- this should be sweet and salty with acidic notes.
Wild garlic salsa Verde: 6 wild garlic leaves, one shallot, one lemon, olive oil, salt, sugar.
Finely dice the wild garlic and shallot, these are then combined with the lemon zest, juice, oil and seasoning until nicely balanced.
To serve
Season the whole scallop with the roe powder and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes on top side and 30 seconds underneath, take off the heat and rest in the pan for 1 minute.
Oil 2 wild garlic leaves and flash under the grill to soften them and lay on the left-hand side of the plate, place a ring over the top and half fill with the kohlrabi remoulade, press this down and top with the scallop ceviche, top with caviar if required. On the right-hand side lay the pickled kohlrabi in a line and sprinkle with some scallop roe powder. Lay some of the confit lemon zest down and place the cooked scallop on top, finish with the wild garlic salsa Verde and serve.
