Creamy Scallops with Bacon
This clever dish might look and taste creamy but I’ve made the sauce with pureed cauliflower rather than cream. It may sound a bit odd but it works beautifully and compliments the flavour of the soft scallops and salty bacon. Serve as a main meal with green vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 litre water
- ½ chicken stock cube
- 1 small cauliflower (about 700g), cut into small florets
- 200g large roeless scallops, thawed if frozen
- 3 rashers (about 95g), smoked back bacon
- oil, for spraying or brushing
- 3tbsp double cream
- flaked sea salt
- ground black pepper
- fresh finely chopped parsley, to garnish (optional)
Method
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Pour the water into a medium saucepan, add the stock cube and cauliflower florets and bring to the boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is very tender. Drain the cauliflower in a colander, reserving the liquid, then tip the cauliflower back into the pan.
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Use a stick blender to blitz the cauliflower into a puree, adding a little of the reserved stock to help blend it. Alternatively, place the cauliflower in a food processor and leave to cool for 5 minutes before blending. Add 150-200ml of the stock and blend again until as smooth as possible and is the consistency of double cream. Set aside.
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Pat the scallops dry on kitchen paper Trim all visible fat off the bacon and cut the into 1.5cm strips. Spray or brush a non-stick frying pan with oil and place over a medium-high heat. Fry the bacon for 2 minutes or until lightly browned; transfer to a plate.
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Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Place them in the hot pan and cook for 1-1 ½ minutes on each side or until well browned and just cooked through. Put the scallops on the same plate as the bacon.
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Return the pan to the heat, add the cauliflower sauce and double cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper and return the bacon and scallops to the pan. Warm through for a few seconds then sprinkle with parsley, if using, and serve.
Recipe Notes
Tip
If you cut the scallops in half horizontally and cook for just 1 minute on each side, this dish will serve four as a light starter.
