Scallops with harissa-pistachio-almond crumble
Ingredients
Serves 6
For the Scallops: 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, 18 fresh sea scallops, 20 g butter, 2 teaspoons harissa powder (or more if desired!), 80 g blanched almonds, coarsely chopped, 80 g hulled pistachios, coarsely chopped, pepper, fleur de sel
For the Shallot Cream: 3 shallots, 20 g butter, 60 cl heavy cream, salt
3 crêpes, optional
Steps
For the Scallops: 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, 18 fresh sea scallops, 20 g butter, 2 teaspoons harissa powder (or more if desired!), 80 g blanched almonds, coarsely chopped, 80 g hulled pistachios, coarsely chopped, pepper, fleur de sel
For the Shallot Cream: 3 shallots, 20 g butter, 60 cl heavy cream, salt
3 crêpes, optional
To prepare the scallops: Heat the grapeseed oil in a skillet over high heat. Sear the scallops in the oil 1 minute on 1 side. Remove the pan from the heat, flip the scallops, and let them absorb the heat of the pan for 1 minuts. Transfer the scallops to a plate.
Melt the butter in the same skillet. Stir in the harissa, then the almonds and pistachios. Toast the nuts 1 minute, stirring constantly. Keep warm.
To make the Shallot Cream : Finely mince the shallots, then sauté them in the butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Add the cream, season with salt, and pepper, and cook over low heat 3 minutes without allowing the sauce to come to a boil. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth, then strain it through a fine-meshed strainer. Keep warm.
To serve: Blend the strained shallot cream once more with the immersion blender to emulsify. Coat the base of each plate with the shallot cream. Place 3 scallops in the center of each plate, and sprinkle with the almond-pistachio crumble.
Further Information
‘I like to serve this dish with crêpe tagliatelles, thin plain crepes which have been rolled into logs and sliced into thin, pasta-like strands. These get placed on top of the shallot cream and sprinkled with harissa powder. Try the dish with a small dollop of homemade harissa paste as a garnish as well.’ Farida
