Grilled Scallops, Urfa Chilli Butter and Parsley Breadcrumbs
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Medium
Serves 6-12 people
Scallops are a luxurious treat for a special occasion and are at their best in the depths of winter. Try and buy fresh ones in the shell and ask your fishmonger to prepare them. If you can, keep the shells so you can clean them and then use to serve the scallops in. They make a perfect starter or canape, being both rich but not too filling.
Ingredients
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For the Urfa Chilli Butter;
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For the parsley breadcrumbs:
Method
- Step 0: Once the butter and breadcrumbs have been made, it’s very straightforward to assemble the dish. Remove the scallops from the fridge and season with salt. Place a frying pan on a high heat and when hot, add a little oil to the pan and place 6 scallops in (don’t be tempted to do more as they won’t cook properly). Cook for 2-3 minutes so that they have begun to caramelise then turn over and repeat. Turn the heat down to medium and add a spoonful of the Urfa butter and baste the scallops for 1 minutes, then remove from the pan onto a plate. Dollop more butter on top then coat liberally with the breadcrumbs.
- Step 1: A slightly easier way to do this, especially if you are doing more than 6, is to cook under a hot grill. Heat your grill to maximum. Place the scallops in a small tray or in scallop shells, season with salt and top with a dab of the Urfa butter. Cook for around 5 minutes, then remove and plate, finishing with more butter and breadcrumbs.
- Step 2: In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Kept in the fridge, this will last for at least a week, but allow to come up to room temp for using in the dish.
- Step 3: In a food processor, blitz the parsley in a blender until finely chopped. Tear the bread into chunks, add to the blender along with the garlic and lemon zest and blitz until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
- Step 4: Place a medium frying pan on a medium heat, add the olive oil and breadcrumbs and toss to coat.
- Step 5: Cook on a medium to low heat, stirring often, until the breadcrumbs are nicely toasted with little colour.
- Step 6: Season to taste with salt, then remove from the pan and into a container lined with kitchen paper.
