Hot Scallops
with Roasted Red Pepper & Courvoisier® VS Cognac Dressing
Serves 4 as a starter
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 4 large red peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 45ml virgin olive oil
- 15ml Courvoisier® VS Cognac @ 60% ABV
- 15ml double cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salsa
- Butter and olive oil to sauté
- Half medium cucumber, seeds removed and diced small
- 2 beef tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed and diced small
- Small red onion, finely chopped
- 15g finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
To assemble
- Butter to sauté
- 16 large scallops
- 12 king prawns
- Juice of half a lemon
- Fresh chives to garnish
Method
To make the dressing
- Place the peppers whole onto a baking sheet with the unpeeled garlic cloves and roast in a hot oven at 200-220°C for 15-20 minutes or until well charred.
- Wrap the roasted peppers in cling film and allow to cool. Remove the cling film, take the skins off the peppers, remove all seeds and stalk. Squeeze out the garlic flesh from the skins.
- Roughly chop the pepper flesh and place in a liquidiser together with the garlic, olive oil and cream and blend to a smooth consistency. Transfer to a pan.
- Add the Courvoisier® VS Cognac and heat gently for 5 minutes. Keep warm.
To make the salsa
- Lightly heat a little butter and oil in a small frying pan and sauté the red onion for a minute. Add the cucumber and tomato and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Season and stir in the parsley. Keep warm.
To cook the scallops
- Lightly heat a knob of butter in a non-stick pan and pan fry the scallops for just 2 minutes each side. Add the king prawns and cook for a further 1 minute until hot. Season and squeeze over the lemon juice.
To assemble
- Spoon a serving of salsa on to the centre of a large white serving plate. Top with 4 scallops and 3 king prawns. Spoon the warm dressing around the outside of the centre arrangement. Garnish with fresh chives.
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