Scallops in a kumquat sauce

Seared scallops in a kumquat sauce

My latest craze in cooking is Japanese food. I love the umami flavours. In this recipe, the fresh sea scallop is the star of the show, and I have tried not to overpower it in any way. The daikon radish adds texture and some zing. The zucchini flowers add colour and an extra bit of taste.

The addition of orange juice brightens the sauce and brings out the kumquat's flavour.
And I thought the addition of fresh ginger balanced things off beautifully, but it could be an optional ingredient, a personal choice.

If you have brown butter to cook it in that is great, but it may be easier to let the butter "froth" in the pan before you start cooking the scallops. To get a perfect caramalised scallop do not overcrowd the pan.

2 tsp salted butter

340 gms — 3/4 lb fresh sea scallops, wash and pat dry  

In a skillet, heat half the butter until it sizzles and foams. Add half the scallops. Cook on a high heat until caramelised. Turn and cook on the other side. Remove to a plate and repeat to finish cooking the rest. 

To prepare the sauce

In a pan, bring all the ingredients to a boil. Lower the heat  and simmer the sauce for 7 minutes. This should become thicker and sticky enough to coat the back of the spoon.

2 tbsp sake

2 tsp le bon magot, or any other kumquat conserve

1.5 tsp mirin

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp light tamari soya

1/3rd cup orange juice

2 tsp yuzu

1 small piece of fresh ginger to infuse

1/2 tsp wasabi powder

To assemble

Pour the sauce over the scallops as needed, sprinkle with nanami togarashi, seaweed salt (seasalt crushed with nori) and plum sesame seeds. 

A side of grated daikon radish sitting on a spoonful of sauce and zucchini flowers pan-fried in brown butter makes this meal very delicious.

Photo credit Niloufer Mavalvala

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself via email, in independent book stores across the world and on Amazon India.

The Route to Parsi Cooking: From Pars to India and Beyond is an award winning book. It has been self published in June 2024. Email at theroutetoparsicooking@gmail.com

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Vegetarian Parsi, inspired by tradition is an award winning cookbook. It was published by Spenta Multimedia India and is available on Amazon India and through email order at thevegetarianparsi@gmail.com.

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.

Scallops -Asian flavour infused

Scallops—Asian flavour-infused

Fresh scallops smell like the ocean breeze. They can have a bag of orange roe attached to them, which is delicious to eat and not to be discarded. Cooking them in butter or brown butter-beurre noisette adds to the deliciousness. The kumquat comes through vibrantly with the addition of orange juice.

Serves 4 

 

340 g - 3/4 lb fresh sea scallops

A sprinkle of Nanami Togarashi (see tip)

2 tsp salted butter or brown butter

 

Wash and pat the scallops dry. Sprinkle with Nanami Togarashi.

In a skillet, heat half the butter until it sizzles and foams. Add half the scallops. Cook over high heat until the scallop has caramelised. Turn and cook the other side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining butter and scallops.

 

To prepare the sauce or vinaigrette in a pan, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 7 minutes. This should become slightly thick and sticky enough to coat the back of the spoon.

2 tbsp sake

2 tsp kumquat conserve or an orange marmalade

1 1/2  tsp mirin

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp light tamari soya

1/3rd cup of orange juice

1 small piece of fresh ginger to infuse

1/2 tsp wasabi powder or paste

 

To assemble

Pour the sauce as needed over the scallops; sprinkle with seaweed salt, crushed nori, and toasted sesame seeds.

Add a side of daikon radish, along with a drizzle of the same vinaigrette and zucchini flowers if available.

 

Tips

Nanami togarashi, is a Japanese 7 spice available in Asian food stores. It is a blend of different red and black pepers, sesame, seaweed and ginger and may have yuzu and the white cardamom. 

Yuzu which is a Japanese lime, has a delightful sake which is a good option if it is available.

No salt is needed in this recipe, as the ingredients seem to have enough.

The sauce has plenty of umami flavour. I found that ginger really helped round up the flavours.

The kumquat comes through vibrantly with the addition of orange juice.

Allow the butter to foam up before placing the scallops in the pan.

Photo courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

 

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on Amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Vegetarian Parsi, inspired by tradition is an award winning cookbook. It was published by Spenta Multimedia India and is available on Amazon India and through email order at thevegetarianparsi@gmail.com.

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.