Orkney scallop with fermented carrots, pickled alexanders, rock samphire and chicken skin

Begin by making the fermented carrot purée, as this will take 7–10 days. Peel, trim and finely slice the carrots. Weigh and calculate 1.5% of the weight, then add that quantity of salt to the carrots and mix well. Place them in a vacuum bag with the whey, seal and leave to ferment for 7–10 days

Add the contents of the bag to a blender and blitz until smooth, then transfer to a squeeze bottle and reserve in the fridge

The pickled alexanders also take 10 days to develop their flavour. Add the flowers to the vinegar and store in a sealed jar for a minimum of 10 days. These make a great preserve to use throughout the year

The day before you plan to serve the dish, prepare the pickled carrots. Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a pan, remove from the heat and add the vinegar. Leave to cool

Peel the carrots and square them off to create 2cm-thick batons. Use a mandoline to slice the carrots lengthways into fine ribbons. Keeping the two colours separate, place in a bowl and cover with vinegar. Leave to marinate overnight

On the day you plan to serve the dish, prepare the roast chicken skin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Make a brine by dissolving the salt in the water. Scrape any excess fat away from the chicken skin, then submerge in the brine for 1 hour

For the alexander purée, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the alexander leaves and cook for 6 minutes until very tender. Drain and refresh in iced water. Squeeze out any excess liquid and add to a blender, blitzing until smooth. Add the xanthan, blitz again and season. Pass through a fine sieve and reserve in a squeeze bottle

Drain and dry the skin on kitchen paper. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and spread out the chicken skin on top. Cover with another piece of paper and another tray, place a weight on top and cook in the oven for 19 minutes until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside

Cook the rock samphire by bringing the water, butter and salt to the boil in a pan, then emulsify with a hand blender. Bring back to the boil, add the rock samphire and cook for 2 minutes or until crisp but tender. Drain and keep warm

For the scallops, make a brine by dissolving the salt in the water and submerging the scallops for 5 minutes. Drain and place on kitchen paper. Heat the rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and sear the scallops on one side for 1 ½ minutes until golden brown. Turn the scallops over and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and deglaze the pan with the lemon juice. Reserve the scallops on a small dish, pouring over any cooking juices, then season with salt and keep warm

To serve, place a ring of alexander purée on each plate before adding 3 large dots of the fermented carrot purée – enough for each bite of scallop. Roll up the carrot ribbons and add to the plate and sprinkle the alexander flowers over the purée. Place a scallop in the centre of the dish and finish with the rock samphire and roast chicken skin