Pan-fried scallops, peas and lettuce, pancetta, salad leaves and girolles vinaigrette – by David Nicholls

11 September 2006
Pan-fried scallops, peas and lettuce, pancetta, salad leaves and girolles vinaigrette – by David Nicholls

Although David Nicholls would describe this as a "modern" dish, it has elements that reflect ways in which current trends draw

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on past traditions. The peas-and-lettuce combination has evolved directly from petits pois à la française and the girolles are first cousins to mushrooms à la grecque. ### Ingredients (serves four) 4 pancetta crisps (see advance preparation 1) 450g shelled peas (see advance preparation 2) 10 diver-caught scallops 75g thinly shredded shallots 40g butter 3tbs iceberg lettuce chiffonade Salt and pepper Squeeze of lemon juice 100ml extra virgin olive oil 40g finely diced shallots 50g (about 50) baby girolles 25ml white wine vinegar 80g mixed lettuces 3tbs walnut oil Chervil sprigs ### Advance preparation 1\. Slice the rolled pancetta (preferably on a machine) as finely as possible. Put the slices on a tray under a slow grill and cook until they are almost crisp. Put them on a tray between two sheets of non-stick parchment. Weight them for at least three hours so that they become crisp and wafer-like. 2\. Boil the peas until tender in salted water and reserve 100g. Purée the remainder and pass them through a sieve if they have leathery skins.
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1 Put the slices of pancetta on a tray between two sheets of non-stick parchment. Weight them for at least three hours so that they become crisp and wafer-like.
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2 Discard scallop mantle, coral and black bowel. Rinse the scallops briefly in cold water and pat dry.
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3 Slice them in half through the waist. Put them on a J-cloth to dry for at least two hours
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4 Boil the peas until tender in salted water and reserve 100g.
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5 Purée the remainder and pass them through a sieve if they have leathery skins.
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6 Add the girolles and wine vinegar. Simmer until the vinegar has evaporated.
### Method Sweat the shredded shallots in butter until transparent. Add the peas and the pea pur‚e. Heat through, season and stir in the chiffonade of lettuce. Flavour with a touch of lemon juice. Take the scallops out of their shells. Run a sharp, flexible-bladed knife across the inside of the flat shell and then free the scallop by cutting it loose from the rounded shell. Discard the mantle, the coral and the black bowel. Rinse the scallops briefly in cold water and pat dry. Slice them in half through the waist. Put them on a clean J-cloth to dry for at least two hours. Heat about a third of the olive oil in a small pan and add the diced shallots. They should soften almost at once. Add the girolles and wine vinegar. Simmer until the vinegar has evaporated. Add another third of the oil, season and keep warm. For each portion, heat a little of the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan. Season five scallop halves and fry rapidly on both sides so that the edges are just coloured - about two minutes. Toss lettuces in walnut oil and season. To dress each portion, put a 7cm ring in the middle of the plate and fill with the hot pea mixture. Remove ring. Heat a pancetta slice and lay it on the peas. Arrange scallop halves around the plate, and intersperse them with small mounds of girolles. Put a bouquet of lettuce on the pancetta. Add a sprig of chervil to each pile of girolles.
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