Seared scallops with creamed fresh corn and ratatouille salsa

I like this combination a lot. It’s a fresh summer dish where all the components seem to marry together beautifully. It’s a great way to stretch the “scallies” if they’re a bit lean on the ground.

Ingredients

50 g	Butter
½ cup	Shallots, roughly chopped
⅓ cup	White wine
1 cup	Cream
3 cups	Corn kernels, freshly cooked and removed from the cob
60	Scallops, at room temperature
1 splash	Cooking oil
2 knobs	Butter

Ratatouille salsa

1 splash	Olive oil
1 cup	Red onion, finely diced
½ Tbsp	Garlic, finely chopped
1 cup	Courgette, finely diced
1 cup	Eggplant, finely diced
2	Red capsicums, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely diced
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
⅓ cup	Fresh basil, finely chopped

Directions

1. Make the ratatouille, see recipe below.
2. In a suitable sized saucepan add the butter and shallots. Place on a low heat and sweat for 20 minutes (without colouring) stirring occasionally.
3. Add the wine, turn down the heat a little and reduce for 5 minutes before adding the cream and corn. Cook for another 5 minutes then remove from the heat.
4. With a wand blender or in a food processor, pulse a couple of times to break up some of the corn kernels. You want the creamed corn to still have a slightly chunky texture.
5. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate until required.
6. When ready to serve, heat up the creamed corn gently in a saucepan over a low heat or slowly in a microwave.
7. For the scallops, place a frying pan over high heat. Season and oil the scallops before batch cooking them in your hot pan.
8. Cook no more than 30 seconds per side, and when you turn them add a couple of knobs of butter, just before removing from the pan. Keep warm while you finish the rest.
9. Spoon a little creamed corn in the centre of each plate then divide out 10 scallops per serve.
10. Top with a few spoonfuls of the ratatouille salsa, add a pinch of sea salt and a grind of fresh black pepper. Serve now.

Ratatouille salsa

1. Place a frying pan on a medium heat. Add a little olive oil and fry the onion and garlic until golden.
2. Remove and pour into a bowl. Do the same with the courgette and then follow with the eggplant.
3. Add the capsicum and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Toss in the fresh basil, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Cover and leave at room temperature for a few hours, or if serving later than that refrigerate until required.