Salad of grilled scallops and hazelnut vinaigrette

This recipe comes from Damien Pignolet’s cookbook “French”, who first tasted a version of this dish while travelling through Paris. Roquefort, the blue cheese, is worth searching out for this recipe, but St Agur or Rochecave will work in a pinch, too.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Serve with Bread

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 3-4 large witlof
• Peanut or grapeseed oil, for drizzling
• 500 - 600 g scallops (roe attached)
• Salt and black pepper
• 120 g blue cheese (such as Roquefort, St Agur or Rochecave), crumbled
• 50 g toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 1 French baguette, to serve

For the hazelnut vinaigrette

• ⅓ cup (80 ml) hazelnut oil
• 20 - 30 ml apple cider vinegar
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. To make the hazelnut vinaigrette, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl, whisking well to combine. Taste and season to your liking – it should not be too acidic. Set aside.
   
2. Trim the witlof base and discard the outer leaves. Separate the leaves into individual ‘boats’, allowing 5-6 leaves per person.
   
3. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, until it is very hot, then add a drizzle of oil. Season the scallops with a pinch of salt and pepper, then quickly sear on both sides. The scallops should be lightly caramelised, but almost raw in the centre – so take care not to overcook! Transfer the seared scallops to a bowl, drizzle with some of the hazelnut vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.
   
4. To serve, assemble the witlof leaves on individual plates, then top with the crumbled cheese and seared scallops. Drizzle with a little extra dressing, then sprinkle with the hazelnuts. Serve the salad of grilled scallops and hazelnut vinaigrette with French baguette on the side.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Serve with Bread

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G