Advice & Info: Chargrilled Scallops with Spinach, Red Peppers and a Basil Beurre

5 large scallops per person
1 chopped red pepper
100gm fresh unblanched spinach
salt and pepper
oil for frying

Basil Beurre Blanc
50gm butter
salt and pepper
dash of dry white wine
100ml cream
50gm finely chopped basil

Garnish
Puff pastry flutes made from slivers of fresh puff pastry, baked in a hot oven
(250°C/Gas 9) for 10 minutes.

Cooking shellfish can be tricky. If you’re not careful it can end up tough as leather, instead of melt-in-your mouth.

With this scallop recipe (which involves tossing the scallops in butter on a griddle pan on top of the stove), cook the scallops lightly on one side until they start turning a light golden colour. Then flip them over onto the other side to cook briefly. Take them off the heat, even before they are cooked right through. As you remove them from the heat, they continue to cook, so by the time you serve them they will be done to a ‘t’— hopefully!

This dish was cooked on board a 63 foot cruising yacht, which had a full-size gas stove in the galley. If you’re not lucky enough to have anything as grand as this, don’t worry. All you need is one hot element, and a pan or griddle.

Now the big thing about achieving success with this dish in the confines of your galley is to do a bit of preparation beforehand. For example, you could chop up the red pepper garnish and the basil for the sauce at home, take it on board, and you’re half way there.

The first thing to do when you get into the galley, is to prepare the sauce. Don’t be put off by the fancy name; beurre blanc. It’s not as intimidating as it sounds. A beurre blanc is simply a butter sauce served with fish.

Most beurre blancs involve simmering together some butter, white wine and flavourings such as a herb, plus cream. With this sauce, the herb is basil and it matches very well with the scallops because the recipe retains the orange roe on the scallops. The roe has a strong flavour, but the basil complements it nicely.

After you’ve made the sauce, put it aside, cook the scallops, take them off the heat, add a bit of extra cream to the sauce — off the heat — then put it back on the element and let it simmer through. Serve it over the scallops.

If you want your dish to look terrific you could also bake a few puff pastry flutes for garnish beforehand. Bake some pastry strips in a hot (250°C/Gas 9) oven for 10 minutes. The fresher the pastry, the better it puffs up.

For the Basil Beurre Blanc: Heat a medium sized pot over a medium heat, add 50gm butter, melt until half is still left firm in the pot. Add salt and pepper and a dash of dry white wine, plus 100ml cream. Lastly add 50 gm finely chopped basil. Keep the pot moving until all the ingredients have bound together, allow to reduce and remove from direct heat while you cook the scallops.

For the scallops, heat a pan or skillet on a medium heat. Season the scallops, add a squeeze of lemon juice. When the pan is hot cook the scallops, 30 seconds on one side, turn and repeat on the other side. Drain any juices left in the pan. Flip the scallops over again and remove from the heat.

Prepare a serving dish by placing spinach in the centre and arranging scallops around the outer edge. Drizzle the scallops with beurre blanc and finish with chopped red peppers and puff pastry flutes.

When the scallops are ready, either add a dash of extra cream to the sauce — off the heat — and put it back on the element to let it simmer through, or simply serve as is, over the scallops.

A light chardonnay would go very nicely with this recipe, and bread or rice if you want some starch. Add a tossed salad and you’ve got an easy delicious meal. It makes a great lunch dish, light evening meal, or a starter before a main course.