Sesame Crusted Scallops with an Asian Style Salad. We are lucky in Jersey to have access to wonderful seafood. We have an amazing selection of local oysters, mussels, crabs, and lobster. What’s more, they are all easy to cook and so adaptable. You can use them in so many cuisines, classical French cookery, Thai, Chinese or cook them on the barbecue. I buy my scallops from a local seafood van. On the mainland you can use any reputable fishmonger. What you need to look out for is diver-caught scallops as large-scale commercial dredging is very damaging to the seabed.
A Little bit about Scallops
Like mussels and oysters, scallops are bivalves, this means they have a pair of hinged shells. Scallops are one of the healthiest seafoods you can eat. They are low in sodium and saturated fats and consist of nearly 80% protein and they are a good source of potassium, zinc and vitamin B12. Scallops can be served cooked or seared to be precise. Fresh scallops can also be served raw like sashimi, lightly cured in a ceviche or smoked.
In UK waters we find two types of scallops. Kings and queens or queenies. King scallops are larger with a firmer texture and often have the orange and brown roe attached. It is best to slice larger King scallops in half before cooking. Queenies are a different species and much smaller and sweeter. Queen scallops are mostly sold as pure scallop meat without the roe. The Isle of Man is famous for ‘Manx Queenies’ which have been awarded protected status and celebrated with a yearly, weeklong festival.
What to drink with Asian style Seafood
The dish pairs well with off-dry New World Rieslings. The balanced acidity and sweetness tempers any chilli heat. The honeyed floral aromas are a perfect match to fragrant ingredients like ginger, lemon grass and coriander. For beer a Belgium Whitbier with its citrus and spicy coriander notes would go down really well.
If you enjoyed this seafood recipe why not try one of the following; classic Moules Marinières with white wine, shallots, and garlic, my Prawn and Lobster Thermidor or Gambas al Ajillo – Spanish Garlic Prawn Tapas.
My Sesame Crusted Scallops with an Asian Style Salad
I adore this recipe for Sesame Crusted Scallops with an Asian Style Salad. I love cooking scallops them and they are most definitely in my top five favourite foods to eat. However, it is a little different from seared or pan-fried scallops as they are fried in a crust of sesame seeds. The sweet firm flesh of the scallop is a perfect foil for the sweet, sour, salty flavours of the dressing and the crisp Asian inspired salad. You can make the syrup can be made ahead and stored it in the refrigerator. It makes a great dipping sauce for crispy Spring Rolls and Dim sum.
Sesame crusted Scallops with an Asian style Salad
Ingredients
For the sesame scallops
- 16 diver caught Scallops ask your fishmonger to prepare them
- Sesame Seeds
- A good slug Olive Oil
- a large knob Jersey Butter
- 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
For the Asian style salad
- 1 large Carrot washed and peeled
- 1 bunch Spring Onions washed and trimmed
- 1 small bulb of Fennel
- 1 Red Pepper
- ½ Cucumber washed
- 100 gr fresh Bean Sprouts
- 1 Red Chilli finely sliced
- A small handful of Thai Basil or Coriander
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
For the dipping sauce
- 100 gr Caster sugar
- 2 cloves of Garlic peeled and finely crushed
- 1 small Red Chilli finely diced
- 1 small piece of fresh Ginger about 25 gr peeled and finely grated
- 2 stems of Lemon Grass peeled and crushed
- 2 tablespoons Fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
- Zest and juice of 2 Limes
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed frying pan
- Baking Parchment
Instructions
- In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan place the prepared chilli, ginger, lemongrass, and garlic. Add the sugar, the juice of two limes, fish sauce, soy and 200 ml of water.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes taking care not to caramelise. Reduce to a light syrup. Set aside and allow cool.
- Prepare the salad vegetables by slicing the spring onions, carrot, pepper, cucumber, and fennel into fine strips or Julienne. Plunge into a bowl of iced water for ten to fifteen minutes, this will really crisp them up. Drain thoroughly.
- In a large mixing bowl, place the lime zest and six to eight tablespoons of the cooled syrup. Season and stir.
- In a heavy-bottomed frying pan melt the butter and olive oil over a high heat. Season the prepared scallops immediately before cooking and roll in sesame seeds.
- Place a piece of baking parchment in the pan and carefully and the scallops. Sauté for one to two minutes until the seeds are golden brown. Turn over and cook for one more minute.
- Sprinkle with sesame oil and set aside.
- Toss all of the salad ingredients in the dressing and add some roughly torn Thai Basil before placing in the centre of the serving plate. Place on the scallops, drizzle with a little extra syrup and serve.
Notes
Check Soy sauce for Gluten
Can I ask a Favour?
If you enjoyed this post or any of my recipes on my blog, grab yourself a coffee and please drop me line. Or you can simply like the recipe above, share it, leave a comment or like my post on Instagram, and don’t forget to sign up for my free newsletter.
Please leave a comment I'd love to hear from you