Seared Scallops and Creamed Cauliflower with Hazelnut, Soy, Lime and Chilli Dressing, topped with Cured Meat Chips and Roast Hazelnuts

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If you are a fan of scallops, you will love this recipe for Seared Scallops and Creamed Cauliflower with Hazelnut, Soy, Lime and Chilli Dressing, topped with Cured Meat Chips and Roast Hazelnuts. Ideal as a starter or a fabulous lunch, this dish features a glorious range of textures and flavours, from

• luxuriously creamy, velvety smooth cauliflower,
• buttery, caramelised, sweet scallops,
• delicate, crispy meat chips,
• crunchy roast hazelnuts, and
• a spicy, zesty dressing made from soy sauce, lime and chilli to cut through the richness.

Surprisingly easy to make and utterly moreish, you can have this on the table in 30 minutes. Don’t forget some fresh bread to mop up all the wonderful juices!

Lyngen Lodge

This is another copy-cat recipe of a dish we enjoyed during our trip to Lyngen Lodge, last April. I based the recipe on the description they gave me for the dish, rather than the photograph. They called it ‘Scallops served with cauliflower puree, hazelnut and soy sauce dressing and cured meat chips’. Their photograph does not look like it uses soy sauce, but whether it does or doesn’t, this version is full of fabulous flavours and textures; we loved it.

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How to make Seared Scallops and Creamed Cauliflower with Hazelnut, Soy, Lime and Chilli Dressing, topped with Cured Meat Chips and Roast Hazelnuts

Collect all your ingredients together:

Creamed Cauliflower –

• cauliflower florets – one medium to large head of cauliflower
• fine salt
• garlic , peeled and left whole
• unsalted butter
• Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• sour cream
• cooking water
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Hazelnut, Soy, Lime and Chilli Dressing –

• hazelnut oil
• garlic, peeled and crushed
• fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• chilli flakes, or more to taste
• soy sauce
• lime juice
• runny honey
• freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste – you may not need any because the soy sauce is quite salty

For the Scallops and Cured Meat Chips –

• hazelnuts
• Prosciutto Crudo
• olive oil, if necessary
• scallops (without the coral)
• unsalted butter
• fresh dill to garnish

Now make this wonderful starter or light lunch:

First, make the creamed cauliflower –

1. Break/cut the cauliflower into florets and place in a saucepan with the 2, peeled but whole, cloves of garlic. Cover with boiling water. Bring to a simmer, add the teaspoon of salt and cook until very soft. Around 10 minutes.
2. Remove a small jug of cooking water and set aside. Drain the cauliflower well.
3. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor and add the butter, parmesan cheese and sour cream.
4. Blitz until it forms a smooth purée. Add some cooking water, if necessary, to achieve the consistency you are looking for.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

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Make the dressing whilst the cauliflower cooks –

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat and add the garlic, ginger and chilli. Cook for 1 minute, take off the heat and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Pour into a jam jar, add the remaining ingredients, and shake well to emulsify.

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Make the meat chips and cook the scallops:

1. Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat, and when hot, add the hazelnuts. Cook for a few minutes, stirring from time to time, until the hazelnuts have lightly browned. Tip out of the pan and set aside to cool.
2. Roughly chop the hazelnuts.
3. Add the prosciutto to the hot pan and cook on both sides until browned and crispy. Remove from the pan and cool on kitchen paper, to absorb the fat.
4. Discard any coral and dry the scallops well with kitchen towel. Season with freshly ground sea salt and black pepper.
5. You need around 1 tablespoon fat from the prosciutto in the pan. If you have more remove some, and if you do not have enough, add some olive oil. Turn up the heat to high and when the pan is ready, add the scallops, flat and top side down, to the pan. Sear for 2 – 3 minutes, until the scallops are golden brown. Do not move the scallops, as they cook.
6. When golden brown, turn the scallops and cook on the other side for 1 – 2 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and baste the scallops as they cook for the final minute.

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Plate up this wonderful starter/lunch –

1. Spoon some creamed cauliflower into the centre of each serving plate – serve any extra on the side.
2. Top with the scallops and cooking butter.
3. Drizzle round some of the Hazelnut and Soy Sauce Dressing with Lime and Chilli.
4. To finish, break up the crispy prosciutto to make chips and add some to the plate, scatter over some chopped hazelnuts and garnish with fresh dill.

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Made this recipe?

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