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Sunday 5 July 2009

Scallops with Bacon, Nectarines & Dill

Sounds like a weird combination, doesn't it?

I feel like I've lost a bit of cooking inspiration recently. It's been all stir-fried noodles, simple pastas - the kind of thing you can cook in 15 minutes. This has been because of it being cheap to make, quick to make, and requiring little to no imagination. Work has been busy, but life has also been busy. The sun has been out and I've been trying to make the most of it, even if it means I rarely see the inside of my flat and I'm sometimes exhausted.

I'm trying to change this though, and have resolved to cook at least one recipe from my cookbooks a week. I once spent 5 hours on a Sunday cooking pork belly and the result was so satisfying, but this I haven't done in a long time. Perhaps practically living alone has been the cause of this, but I'll just drag my mates round to eat more.

Anyway, enough about me. I spotted these lovely scallops in the supermarket on the shell for 99p each and couldn't resist them. I absolutely refuse to buy scallops without the coral on them, they're so packed full of flavour that I feel like I'm being cheated if they don't have them on. Scallops work well with both sweet and salty flavours (think black pudding and apple), so I took these elements and created a very experimental dish. Thankfully it worked really quite well; the juicy sweetness of the nectarines was balanced well with the salty bacon, and well - we know dill works with seafood pretty well. It was a perfect light lunch.


Scallops with Bacon, Nectarines & Dill

Serves 2

4 scallops, roe on in their shells
1 small ripe nectarine
2 shallots
30gr butter
2 slices of smoked streaky bacon
Juice of half a lime
3 sprigs of dill

In a non stick pan, add half the butter until foaming. Add the bacon and fry until coloured. Add the shallots and fry slowly until softened and golden. Then cut the nectarine into slices and fry for 4 to 5 minutes on a medium heat until all is slightly sticky. Take the fronds of dill off the stems and chop finely. Add to the pan with the lime juice, stir well and take it off the heat. Spoon into the shells evenly.

Wipe the frying pan clean, and add the rest of the butter with a drop of cooking oil. Heat until almost smoking but not burning, and add the scallops. Tilt the pan, spooning the butter mixture over them. Cook for about 2 mins depending on the thickness of the scallops, then turn over. They should be nicely browned. Cook for a further minute, then carefully season with pepper and lift onto the shell mixture. Serve with leaves dressed in olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

16 comments:

  1. What a picture they make! Lovely, Lizzie.

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  2. I totally agree on the scallops - the rose is so damn tasty! you picked up a nice little bargain there. I can see how the dish would work - sweet scallops, fruit, salty bacon and aniseed. We are certainly getting into our fruity savoury dishes at the moment ;)

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  3. They were a real bargain, did they come in the shell too?

    I know what you mean about losing a little enthusiasm lately, I really struggle in the (rare) warm months because I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen with the oven on or standing over a hot saucepan. There must be some kind of middle ground though so am looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

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  4. Scallops = one of my favourite things in the world. Scallops + bacon = more win. Scallops + bacon + nectarine = heaven.

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  5. Oooof! Such a pretty dish. Sounds delicious too. I adore scallops and agree with you re: the roe. They were a bargain!

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  6. Oh wow that looks DELICIOUS and right up my alley. LOVE scallops and agree about the coral.

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  7. Can I just ditto Chris please!
    I'm not keen on dill so might sub a different herb but loving the combo of scallops, bacon and nectarine!

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  8. I'll eat scallops any day of the week, prepared any way! I like eating them off the shell most, steamed Chinese style with ginger, spring onion and soy sauce...

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  9. I'll eat scallops any day of the week, prepared any way! I like eating them off the shell most, steamed Chinese style with ginger, spring onion and soy sauce...

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  10. Ah, it's not just me! I've put aside any thoughts of experimenting in the kitchen or generally spending long hours at home on the weekend! The weather's too fine to stay at home!

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  11. Scallops are always lovely, although they are usually too expensive to experiment with I find! 99p is bargain, and putting them with nectarines is a really unusual, but now you say it, it sounds delicious!

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  12. Hey, this is an awesome recipe idea! Thanks for sharing.

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  13. Thanks all!

    Ginger - yep, they came in the shell. I've seen this offer on-going in Sainsburys for a while now.

    Kavey - I think coriander or parsley might work too.

    Helen YLP - I'd forgotten about scallops prepared that way. That's next on the list!

    Eatmynels - a man of few words then...

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  14. Sounds like a wonderful combo! Bought some from sains yesterday too because I was craving for some scallops. Cooked them the boring way though with just salt and pepper, seared.

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  15. Wow your wacky idea sounds ABSOLUTELY yummy. Sweet, sour of nectarines with the salty, smoky bacon and grassiness of the dill... I can almost taste it right now. Darn you have just made me so hungry!

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