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Scallops with Cauliflower and Lemongrass Foam

A precise starter combining shellfish cookery, fine vegetable cutting, an infused cream sauce, and last-minute foam.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large scallops cleaned
  • 20 ml olive oil
  • 1 small cauliflower finely diced
  • 100 g butter for cauliflower
  • 50 ml chicken stock
  • 2 tsp yuzu juice
  • 5 g ginger finely diced
  • 1 lime zest only
  • 1 shallot chopped
  • 1 garlic clove chopped
  • 10 g butter for sauce
  • 200 ml dry white wine
  • 250 ml fish stock
  • 250 ml heavy cream
  • 1 lemongrass stalk bruised
  • Salt to taste

Method
 

  1. Sweat shallot and garlic in sauce butter without browning. Reduce wine to roughly one-third; add fish stock and reduce by one-third.
  2. Add cream, bring to a simmer, remove from heat, and infuse with lemongrass for 30 minutes. Strain.
  3. Sauté cauliflower in its butter until golden. Add chicken stock, ginger, yuzu, and most zest; keep warm.
  4. Oil scallops in clean oven-safe shells. Broil under a fully heated grill for approximately 3–5 minutes, checking doneness.
  5. Warm the sauce gently and aerate its surface with an immersion blender. Spoon cauliflower and foam over scallops; finish with zest.

Notes

Preparation order: measure the sauce ingredients first and start the infusion before cutting the cauliflower. The fish is the final hot component. Set out four plates and a small garnish spoon before switching on the broiler.
Technique practice: make the cauliflower pieces similar in size so they cook together. Keep tasting spoons separate from utensils used for raw seafood. When foaming, tilt the pan and hold the blender just under the surface; avoid splashing hot cream.
Plating: keep the rim of the shell clean, leave part of the scallop visible, and use a small spoonful of garnish. Serve immediately, before the foam settles. The picture is a plating illustration; optional greenery is decorative.
Cooking checkpoint: scallops should reach 145°F/63°C in the center. Timing varies with size and broiler distance. Source: Martin Wishart, via Great British Chefs.