Seared Scallops With Greek Yoghurt & Chilli

Ingredients

12 scallops
3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt
1 red chilli
1 lemon, the zest & juice
A handful of coriander leaves
3 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

First, open and clean your scallops; the best way to do this is to use a butter knife that isn’t too sharp.
With the scallop in your left hand, the flat shell uppermost and the square edge facing away from you, insert the knife in the right hand side (or three o’clock position) between the two shells.
Work the tip of the knife along the inside of the top shell, working it back and forth until it hits resistance; this will be the abductor muscle which holds the two shells together.
When you knick this you should feel the top shell give way and spring open.
The white meat of the scallop, the bit you want to eat, will be attached to both the bottom and the top shells so carefully cut this away from each, trying not to leave any meat attached to either shell.
The whole scallop is now free and you’ll want to discard everything apart from the round white nugget of meat in the centre and the orange, crescent shaped roe which will be attached to it.
The gills, or frill, that you are discarding make an excellent fish stock if simmered in water with a little onion, celery, garlic, fennel, parsley and a splash of white wine.
To cook the scallops, get a saute pan nice and hot and add a splash of olive oil.
Quickly fry the scallops and roe until they have just taken on a little colour but be careful not to overcook them, it’s far better to have them a little under-cooked than overcooked.
When they’re done, remove from the pan, drain on absorbent paper towel and season with a little sea salt.

Plating Up

Spread the Greek yoghurt over a plate and scatter with the cooked scallops followed by the chopped chilli, lemon zest and coriander leaves and finally, dress with more olive oil and lemon juice.

Chef Anthony McNamara

Popular English Chef Anthony is back in Series II, with more recipes all dealing with fish and shellfish caught off Great Barrier Island. A keen fisher Anthony jumped at the chance to come out fishing with Clarke, cooking the catch each night. Anthony runs his own catering company on Waiheke Island called Luxe Waiheke.

Wine Match

Peter Yealands Chardonnay 2017 (Hawke’s Bay)

Exhibits guava, citrus and stone fruit flavours which combine seamlessly with the subtle toasty oak. The palate combines ripe fruit, lees complexity and subtle oak with a fresh elegant finish. This Chardonnay is vegetarian friendly.