Crab and scallop with celeriac, shallot reduction and bergamot

  • medium
  • 16
  • 5 hours plus 24 hours for infusing and setting
5.00

This starter from Lorna McNee consists of a rich celeriac purée, shingled with paper-thin slivers of scallop. The whole dish is served with a bergamot and yuzu-infused ponzu, that has been split with beurre noisette.

First published in 2024

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Ponzu

Celeriac purée

Celeriac custard

Compressed apple

Shallot reduction

  • 100g of shallots, brunoise
  • 100g of white balsamic vinegar
  • 100g of Chardonnay vinegar

Bergamot gel

Dashi

Crab and scallop

Equipment

  • Steam oven
  • Vacuum bags
  • Thermomix

Method

1

First make the ponzu by mixing all the ingredients together and leaving to infuse for 24 hours

2

For the celeriac purée, add the celeriac, milk and some salt to a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the celeriac is soft

  • 2 celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 1l whole milk
3

Pass off the cooked celeriac and then blend in a Thermomix or high-powered blender

4

Add butter and lemon juice to the Thermomix whilst blending. Add some of the milk if needed to create a glossy purée

5

Warm the cream for the celeriac custard until it’s almost boiling. Add 300g celeriac purée and bring back to a simmer

  • 200g of double cream
6

Whisk the egg yolk and egg together in a sabayon bowl and then pour the custard over the top of it. Whisk everything together

7

Cook in a bain Marie in the oven at 110°C for 10 minutes

8

Once the custard is cooked and set firm, place in the fridge to cool down for 24 hours

9

The next day, blend the custard until it’s soft

10

To make the compressed apple, blend the apple juice, lime juice, star anise and sugar in a pan. Set aside to cool slightly, then place in the fridge to chill completely

11

Cut out the thinly sliced apple into rounds

12

Compress the diced apples in the cold apple pickle liquor and set aside

13

For the shallot reduction, bring the vinegars and shallots to the boil and simmer until the vinegar evaporates

  • 100g of shallots, brunoise
  • 100g of white balsamic vinegar
  • 100g of Chardonnay vinegar
14

For the bergamot gel, bring all the ingredients to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the agar agar

15

Transfer to a container and set aside to cool

16

Once cool, let set in the fridge and then blend until smooth

17

Add the kombu and water to a vacuum bag and seal

18

Infuse in a steam oven at 62°C for 1 hour

19

Remove the kombu from the bag, and then add the kombu dashi to a pan

20

Heat up to 80°C, then add the katsuobushi. Let infuse for 1 minute then quickly strain through muslin

  • 5g of katsuobushi
21

Set aside to cool, then season with ponzu: 20g ponzu per 100g dashi

22

Brown the butter until a nutty brown

23

Remove the claws from the crab, and then steam in a steam oven at 72°C for 10 minutes

24

Wash and air dry the scallops in the fridge for around 1 hour

25

Set aside to cool and then pick the meat from the crab

26

Once the scallops are dried, dice finely and season with salt and olive oil

  • olive oil
27

To plate, place the crab meat in a bowl. Season with the diced apple, chopped chives, lime zest and some of the shallot reduction

28

Place a tablespoon of celeriac custard on the bottom of the plate and top with sliced apple and some dressed crab

29

Cover the whole dish in thinly sliced scallops

30

Put some dots of the bergamot gel on the scallops and then garnish with the gel

31

Warm the dashi and ponzu mixture to around 20°C and then split with the browned butter, and pour over the dish to serve. Garnish with the cornflowers and chervil

A protégé of the late Andrew Fairlie and now one of the chefs at the forefront of Scotland’s fine dining scene, Lorna McNee’s refined style of cookery is all about celebrating her country’s incredible natural larder through carefully constructed dishes. This has seen her become the only female chef in Scotland to currently hold a Michelin star.

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