diver scallops with pancetta, pumpkin seeds & cabernet estate reserve® tomato coulis
Author: Chef D. Brown
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Yields: 4 portions
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 12 ea Diver Scallops
- 16 slices Pancetta, thinly sliced (ask your deli)
- ½ cup Pumpkin seeds
- 1 ea Fennel bulb
- 1 ea Lime, juice & zest
- 2 cups Cabernet estate reserve® tomato coulis (recipe below)
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- Pat the scallops dry and pull of the small abductor muscle on the side if its still attached. (little tough rectangle that’s sometimes on the side of the scallop, peels off easily)
- Slice the raw fennel thinly and reserve in ice water until serving time. (save the green fronds for garnish as well).
- Lay the pancetta discs out flat on a baking sheet on parchment paper or wax paper.
- Bake the pancetta at 300° for 8-10 minutes, keeping an eye on them, this one’s very particular - you want them crispy but every pancetta will act differently depending on how fatty or thick it is. You can take them out when they’re a nice dark roasted colour even if they’re not totally crisp yet because they will crisp up more as they cool.
- Once the pancettas are done, transfer them to a paper towel to ensure they stay crisp.
- Heat up a sauté pan, dry without any oil.
- Quickly toast the pumpkin seeds in the dry pan then reserve them.
- Return the hot pan to the heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper, and add to the hot pan- don’t move them at all for 1 minute.
- Flip the scallops and give them another minute of searing on that side, then pull the pan off the heat and let them sit in the pan as it cools to gently continue to cook. You can remove them at any point depending on how you like them done; if you pull them out right away you should have a nice medium-rare scallop.
- Once you’ve removed the scallops from the pan and placed them somewhere warm to rest for a few minutes, add the cabernet estate coulis to the pan to heat it up and prepare to plate.
- To plate the scallops, first pool ¼ cup of the tomato coulis in the center of the plate, then stack up the seared scallops, shaved raw fennel, and pancetta discs into a tidy tower or jumbled pile, as you see fit.
- Zest and juice a lime over the 4 dishes to finish.
cabernet estate reserve® tomato coulis
Author: Chef D. Brown
Yields: Sauce for 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pkgs (1 lb) Village Farms cabernet estate reserve® tomatoes
- ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp Extra black pepper
- ¼ tsp Sea salt
- ¼ cup Basil
- 1 sprig Thyme (pick all of the leaves from the stem, discard stem)
Instructions
- Place tomatoes on a baking sheet and bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes.
- Transfer tomatoes and any juice directly to a blender or food processor.
- Add olive oil, thyme leaves, and basil, and purée until smooth.
- Taste and re-season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Serve immediately, or cool and set aside to serve chilled or reheated later.