Scallop with Fermented Grains Recipe

This beautiful surf and turf scallop starter recipe from Scott Davies pairs seaweed-roasted scallops with pork belly and fermented grains for a celebration of the best of Skye produce. Though the elements are fairly simple, the dish requires some preparation in advance so make sure you get organised beforehand.

Ingredients

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Scallops

4 scallops, removed from shell with roe left attached (Scott uses double-dived Sconser scallops)
1 tsp dulse seaweed flakes
sea salt

Fermented grains

25g of spelt
25g of pearl barley
25g of rye
100ml of water
80ml of buttermilk
30g of apple vinegar
200ml of white chicken stock

Pork belly

300g of pork belly, (skin and bone removed)
900ml of water
2 tbsp of honey
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp of peppercorns
60g of sea salt
100g of pork fat, melted

Yoghurt curd

200g of plain yoghurt
2g of smoked salt

Burnt aubergine purée

1 large aubergine
1 tbsp of malt extract
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
salt

To serve

wood sorrel

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Water bath
Large vacuum bags
Chamber sealer
Blowtorch
Muslin cloth
2 squeezy bottles (2)
Food processor or blender

To make the fermented grains, mix the spelt, pearl barley, rye, water, 30g of the buttermilk and the apple vinegar together and place in a jar. Seal and leave at room temperature for 24 hours

25g of spelt
25g of pearl barley
30ml of buttermilk, plus an extra 50ml
30g of apple vinegar
25g of rye
100ml of water

Remove the grains from the jar and rinse under cold running water. Place the grains in a pan with the chicken stock and boil for 20 minutes, or until just tender. Remove from the heat, season with salt and stir in the extra 50g buttermilk

200ml of white chicken stock
50ml of buttermilk

Next make a brine for the pork belly. Place the water, honey, thyme, bay, peppercorns and salt in a pan and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, leave to cool then cover the pork belly in the cold brine and refrigerate for 24 hours

900ml of water
2 tbsp of honey
3 bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tbsp of peppercorns
60g of sea salt
300g of pork belly, (skin and bone removed)

Preheat a water bath to 85°C

Wash the pork belly under cold running water and place in a vacuum bag with the melted pork fat. Seal with a chamber sealer and place in the preheated water bath for 12 hours

100g of pork fat, melted

After this time, remove from the water bath, place in a fresh bag and re-seal. Place between 2 heavy trays, top with weights and refrigerate for minimum of 2 hours, until cold and firm

To make the yoghurt curd, mix together the salt and the yoghurt and hang in a muslin cloth in the fridge for 6 hours, allowing the curds to form in the bag and the whey to collect in a bowl beneath it. Remove the curds from the cloth and transfer to a clean container. Keep the whey and curd separately (you will use the whey for the scallops)

200g of plain yoghurt
2g of smoked salt

To make the burnt aubergine purée, lightly score the aubergine with the point of a sharp knife, just breaking the skin. Set up a barbecue with charcoal and roast the aubergine for 20 minutes, or until blackened and soft. Alternatively, you can blacken the aubergine directly on a gas hob flame

1 large aubergine

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas mark 3.5

Break up the cooked aubergine, season with salt and roast on a tray in the oven for 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend with the malt extract and balsamic vinegar. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside until required

salt
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of malt extract

When ready to serve, cut the pork belly into a small dice, place on a tray and lightly crisp the surface with a blowtorch. Set aside until ready to serve

To cook the scallops, season each side lightly with sea salt and roast in a hot pan, or on a plancha, on the flat side for 1 minute. Flip over and cook for a further 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, brush with the reserved whey and sprinkle with dulse seaweed flakes and a little salt

1 tsp dulse seaweed flakes
4 fresh hand dived scallops, removed from shell, with roe left attatched
sea salt

To plate, transfer the aubergine purée and yoghurt curd to separate squeezy bottles. Sit the scallop on a spoonful of fermented grains and garnish with the pork belly cubes, dots of purée and curd and fresh wood sorrel leaves

wood sorrel

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Scott Davies

Having worked all over Scotland, Scott Davies took root at the prestigious Three Chimneys, where his clean, Nordic techniques are a perfect fit for Skye’s incredible larder.

Double-dived scallops, burnt aubergine purée, pork belly and fermented grains

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