Pan-fried scallops on herbed lentils

Another attempt to write a post… would you believe that I used what little time I had left yesterday to type up this recipe only to lose it to the gods-who-allow-typepad-to-time-out-when-I-least-need-it! I am now doing the sensible thing and prepare everything in a good old-fashioned word doc before even opening a browser! But on to more important things: this is a foodblog, after all! Last week I found myself stranded in my old neighbourhood of Twickenham and I wouldn’t have let Madonna’s bodyguards keep me from visiting that alltime favourite fishmonger’s of mine, Sandy's. I used to go there at least twice a week and they are one of the things I miss the most where we are now. We do have a fishmonger and their quality is excellent (best salmon ever, smoked on the premises and shaved into the thinnest slivers!), but they have nowhere near the selection that my old friend Sandy offers.

Once inside, with an inquisitive almost-4-year old hot on my heels, I was spoilt for choice and couldn’t quite decide what should grace our dinner table that evening – when you’re pointing out things to an enthusiastic youngster (there's a reason why I am taking him and not my 15-year-old... pah! teenagers!!!), it’s hard to stick to your shopping list, the temptation just gets the better of you:  wild Scottish salmon, some plump mussels that looked like they didn’t even need much cleaning, a seabass that looked like it had just been caught, some gigantesque langoustines, oh wait, but how about some scallops… well, yes, why don't you throw those in as well! (No wonder they love me there and still remember me after all those years!) So that would be my fish fix for the week – but really, those scallops were the most pristine white you could imagine (pre-soaked, but real beauties) and I find scallops really hard to resist. Cooked well (as in: hardly at all), they are among my favourite seafood.

Back home, all I needed was decide what to make of that bounty of half a dozen different kinds of fish… My eyes fell on a lentil dish Marcus Wareing has in his “How to cook the perfect…”, a book that has had its firm place on my shelf ever since it was published in the spring. This, by the way, is a perfect Christmas present for your better half if they’re desperate for you to let them be chef for a day – but need foolproof recipes that they can impress you with. It comes with great techniques for the enthusiastic beginner (eg how to prevent the pastry for quiche going soggy) and invaluable tricks for salvaging what you thought was lost (a split mayo, the inescapable curdled hollandaise, etc). It may not be the right choice for a budding 3-star chef, but for the rest of us who still have room for improvement in their cooking!

Lentils never featured in my mother’s kitchen, so I am only slowly discovering their virtues. If they’re not cooked to death (lentil soup seems to be one of the most dreaded school dinners across the world), they are very pleasant despite being really good for you (protein, fibre, iron) – with a generous dollop of butter, they even become an indulging treat. Comforting and heart-warming they certainly are and they’re subtle enough not to overpower the delicate flavour of the scallops – believe me, this is one to try! This “terre et mer” (which loosely translateds as “sea and soil”) treatment was just the thing for my little beauties, because that’s what your body needs when you barely get eight hours of daylight: you might crave seafood, but it has to give you some sustenance, right? It’s not like you can brave the wind and rain on some flimsy ceviche, however satisfying that might be on a hot summer’s day!

Pan-fried scallops on herbed lentils*
(serves 2 as a starter or a light lunch)

75 g puy lentils
375 ml vegetable stock
1 small carrot (washed and cut into chunks)
1 small onion (peeled and cut into chunks)
½ small leek (washed & cut into rounds)
½ celery stick (washed & roughly sliced)
2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 large shallot (peeled and finely chopped)
½ small carrot (peeled and finely chopped)
¼ celery stick (washed and finely chopped)
50 g butter (cut into small dice)
2 tbsp chopped coriander

5 large, plump scallops (roe and tough muscle removed)
smoked paprika (pimentón)
vegetable oil

Rinse the lentils thoroughly, then cover with cold water in a small pot and bring to the boil. Do not add any salt at this stage as they would harden. As soon as they are boiling, take off the heat, drain and rinse thoroughly again.
Return the lentils to the pot, with the roughly chunked vegetables and the thyme, and cover with 250 ml of the vegetable stock. Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer for 5 – 8 minutes until half-cooked. Remember they will go through a second cooking phase.

Drain the lentils, remove the thyme and vegetables and discard them. Return the lentils to the pot, add the remaining vegetable stock and the finely chopped vegetables, heat up and simmer for 10 minutes, or until there is about half as much liquid as legumes. Keep warm. Just before serving, stir in the butter and coriander and divide between plates.

Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a good frying pan (cast-iron or stainless steel), halve the scallops horizontally and fry them in two batches of five. Place the scallops gently in the hot oil, one after the other, and when you’ve put the fifth one in, it’ll be time to turn the one you put in first. After turning, sprinkle them with paprika, then take them out in the same order as you put them in. Fry the other batch. This way you won't overcook them, which can turn them chewy and unpleasant.

Arrange the scallops on the lentils and serve without delay.

* Based on a recipe in Marcus Wareing "How to cook the perfect..."

Comments

[kel @ Green Olive Tree]

ooh wow cool combination never thought of it.. would like to try out!

[Ludovic]

Great post Johanna!

Thanks for the reminder about Jarvis!

[Gloria]

I like this recipe, is special.. Gloria

[Erin]

This looks really good!

[Sarah]

I never thought of this combo, either, but two of my faves seem like a match made in heaven!

[Annemarie]

I really like scallops (who doesn't) but my main complaint about them is that they're often treated as such a show-stopped that there isn't much else going on around them. I like that this makes the scallop part of a main dish rather than the center-piece to it.

[myfrenchkitchen]

What a great way to give a bit of body to the scallops. Love the combinatione of scallops/lentils!
Ronell