Seared scallops with chorizo cream sauce and pea puree

Michael Craig

Our scallop canape is a great way to feed your guests fresh scallops without having to break the bank as you only need two scallops per guest. Kasey makes the tastiest Caesar dressing and paired with a portion of smoked salmon on the miniature cos cups makes them quite an indulgent little salad.

Scallops

16	Scallops (Main)
1	Butter, for frying
1	Oil, for frying
1	Lemon, to squeeze

Pea puree

1 ½ cups	Frozen peas (Main)
2 cups	Vegetable stock, or chicken stock
25 g	Butter
¼ cup	Cream

Chorizo cream sauce and chorizo crumb

1 cup	Cream
¾	Chorizo sausages, large, finely diced (Main)
2 cloves	Minced garlic
¼	Chorizo sausages, finely diced, for chorizo crumb
¼	Onions, finely diced

Directions

1. To make the chorizo cream sauce, heat some olive oil in a small saucepan and add the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the chorizo and cook for about 5 mins.
2. Add 1 cup of cream and reduce to half, stirring the sauce occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Strain the sauce and set aside. This can be made in advance and heated just before serving.
3. To make the pea puree, bring the stock to a boil, add the peas and leave until the peas are just cooked through. Remove the peas and place in a blender with a small amount of the stock. Blend and slowly add the ¼ cup cream and chunks of butter and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. To cook the scallops, heat some olive oil and butter in a pan. Make sure the pan is really hot before adding the scallops, place the scallops in the pan and sear. Cook until golden and brown. This should only take about 1 minute. Spoon over butter and oil and flip the scallops. It won't take as long to cook the other side. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper.
5. To make the chorizo crumb, line a baking tray with baking paper. Scatter the chorizo on the tray and grill under a medium heat until crispy.
6. To plate, we used spoons, placing a dollop of the pea puree on the bottom, followed by a scallop topped with the sauce and a sprinkle of chorizo crumb.