This was the starting line-up for a dinner party I had last weekend in celebration of my Hubbies birthday. It would make an equally gorgeous lunch dish for the ladies. Divine scallops sat proudly on a bed of french green lentils, rocket and pine nuts, drizzled with a tangy, warm lemon vinaigrette and topped with crispy chorizo crumbs and toasted pine nuts, it made an impressive starter. Looked great, tasted better. Aaaaaahhhh food.
Prep time: 20 Minutes Cooking time: 30 Minutes $$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
12 large, fat juicy scallops (I prefer roe off in this dish)
1 chorizo sausage
1/2 cup of Puy lentils (french green lentils)
11/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
1 bag of baby rocket
2 tbs of chopped fresh chives
Sea salt & Pepper
For the Dressing:
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup of good red wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp of dijon mustard
1 tsp of caster sugar
Sea salt & Pepper
Place the lentils in a saucepan with the water and season with salt. Bring the pot to the boil and reduce to a simmer for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. You may need to top up with a little more water. Once cooked drain and rinse with hot water. Place in a bowl and set aside.
To make the chorizo crumbs, remove the skin casing from the sausage by making an incision down one side. Peel the layer of skin off, discard and chop the chorizo meat roughly. Place it in a food processor and pulse until you have what resembles bread crumbs. Heat a frypan and add the chorizo, frying and breaking it up with a wooden spoon until the chorizo is well cooked and crispy. Place the crumbs on a plate topped with paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well to get rid of any lumps of mustard. Heat the dressing in the microwave for 30 seconds just before serving.
Wipe the chorizo pan out with paper towel and reheat for the scallops. Pat the scallops dry on both sides with paper towel and add them to the searing hot pan. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side and add a little oil at the last minute, just to glaze them.
To serve, place a handful of rocket leaves to four serving plates. Spoon over the lentils and drizzle over a tablespoon of the dressing. Top with 3 scallops per plate before sprinkling over the pine nuts, chorizo crumbs and another good tablespoon of the dressing. Garnish with the chopped chives and serve.