Grilled Scottish scallops with ratatouille, salad of home-cured salmon, and shellfish and balsamic dressing by Marcus Ashenford
INGREDIENTS
(serves four)
120g (eight slices) sliced gravadlax (see below)
6 hand-dived Scottish scallops
120g mixed salad (mâche, oakleaf, frisée)
Ratatouille (see below)
120ml shellfish oil (see below)
50ml eight-year-old balsamic vinegar
6 plum tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and cut into small diamonds
1 leek, white only, sliced thinly and deep-fried
For the shellfish oil
Remains of crab/lobster/langoustines, roasted
Basil stalks
Thyme
Bay leaf
Peppercorns
Extra virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil
For the gravadlax 1 salmon
150g rock salt
20g sugar
Black pepper
2 bunches dill
60g Dijon mustard
For the ratatouille
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1tsp picked thyme
30g butter
1 red pepper, diced into small brunoise
1 green pepper, diced into small brunoise
1 yellow pepper, diced into small brunoise
60ml white wine
50ml tomato coulis
1 courgette
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Make the shellfish oil a minimum of eight weeks before use by covering shellfish remains and herbs with oil (half extra virgin olive oil, half vegetable oil). Refrigerate.
To make the gravadlax, marinate the salmon for two days by filleting, sprinkling with ingredients, pressing flesh sides together, wrapping in clingfilm and refrigerating. Cut scallops from shells. Remove trail and mantle. Cut in half horizontally.
Make the ratatouille by sweating onion, garlic and thyme in a little butter until soft. Add peppers, continue to sweat. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Add tomato coulis and bring to boil. Add courgette. Simmer slowly until almost dry. The veg should retain a little crunch. Season.
Grill scallops in a little bit of olive oil.
To plate, make a millefeuille alternating salad and gravadlax (two of each) in middle of plate. Starting at 12 o'clock, at equal intervals round the plate place three small mounds of ratatouille topped by a grilled scallop. Place two tomato diamonds in each gap so that there are six on the plate. Drizzle shellfish oil over millefeuille. Add deep-fried leeks. Serve.
Marcus Ashenford
