Prep time
5 mins
Cooking Time
25 mins
Serves
4
Ingredients
4 slices of white bread, crusts removed [baked and blitzed into breadcrumbs for the larder]
4 MSC scallops, thinly sliced
50g cream cheese
A handful of pea shoots
Chive flowers to garnish
For the cucumber
½ cucumber, peeled and sliced [try using the peel to cold infuse a bottle of dry gin]
75ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp finely chopped dill
1 bay leaf
Splash of water
Pinch of sea salt
For the cure
50ml Gin
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1/2 tsp caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
- Heat the vinegar so it approaches boiling point and the sugar dissolves. Then remove from the hob and allow to cool for a few minutes. Pickle your sliced cucumber by submerging in a warm solution of sweetened vinegar. Next use a little water to cover them completely and add a bay leaf, chopped dill and pinch of salt. Allow to pickle for 15-20 mins or until the solution reaches room temperature again.
- Make the scallop cure in a small mixing bowl by whisking together the gin, salt, sugar and lemon. Thinly slice your scallops into discs that are approximately 3-5mm thick. Arrange on a shallow tray and pour over your wet cure. Set a timer for 5 mins then turn the scallop slices over and allow them to finish curing for a further 5 mins.
- Spread your bread with cream cheese and then strain your cucumber pickles. Build your sandwich with slices of cured scallop, crunchy dill pickles and fresh pea shoots. Season with cracked black pepper and chive flowers.
Top Fish Prep Tip
Your scallops should smell naturally sweet and not fishy – the aroma should be bright and briny, a little like fresh seaweed but with no ammonia notes. A good fresh scallop should be moist but not milky and firm in texture. Play around with cures and try serving raw scallops simply dressed with a sharp vinaigrette. You could also cold-smoke slices of scallop for extra depth of flavour.