Seared scallops on pancetta and tomato salad

Feb 29 2008 by Bill Oldfield, The Journal

This week's recipe is a starter or light supper or lunch dish. Scallops, especially king scallops, are not cheap but the meat is dense and the flavour is very special. Be sure not to overcook them as, like prawns, they easily go tough.

The ingredients list includes nam pla, a bottled fermented fish sauce which is quite salty, so a little goes a long way. It’s an essential ingredient in Vietnamese and Thai cooking and can often be used to salt a dish in the same way light soy sauce can.

Seared scallops on pancetta and tomato salad (serves four)

Ingredients

12 king scallops – washed and dried

200g pancetta – diced

One mango

150g fine salad leaves

12 cherry tomatoes – halved if necessary

One tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

One small red chilli – seeded and diced

One dessertspoon fermented fish sauce, usually known as nam pla

Juice and zest of one lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Peel the mango and, using the point of the knife, find the stone and cut the mango in half either side of it.

It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to be precise. Then cut the flesh into small cubes.

To prepare the salad, preheat a shallow pan and dry-fry the pancetta over a medium heat until crisp.

Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain off any excess fat.

In a bowl, mix the cubes of mango, salad leaves and cherry tomatoes, then add the pancetta and season.

To cook the scallops, reheat the same pan and fry the scallops in the sesame oil for one minute on one side, then turn over and cook for a further minute.

Add the chilli, fish sauce, lemon juice and lemon zest to the scallops and bring briefly to the boil.

Remove from the heat.

To serve, place a nest of salad in the middle of each plate. Spoon the scallops onto the salad and dress with the juices from the pan.

Recipes are taken from Oldfields Restaurants cookbook, Passion for Real Food, out now and available in good bookshops. For discounted copies contact us at the restaurant on Claypath, Durham, on (0191) 370-9595 or go to www.oldfieldsrestaurants.com