OVERVIEW
This wonderfully quick and simple dish is a terrific afterburner, as the shells can be placed on residual hot coals once your main dish is ready. Simon Stallard, who runs the Hidden Hut in Cornwall in the UK, finishes this dish by spraying champagne from the bottle, like a winning racing car driver, over the scallops. It’s an impressive sight and if you fancy showing off a little you could give it a try.
SET UP YOUR EGG
Set up your EGG for dirty cooking with no surfaces installed. The target temperature is 200–250°C.
PREPARE THE HERB BUTTER
Mix the herbs and hazelnuts into the softened butter along with 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
If your scallops need preparing, carefully prise open the shells with a small knife, release the scallop from the shell with the knife and discard the muscle, skirt and black stomach sack. Rinse the scallops to remove any grit, pat them dry then place each scallop back in a half-shell with 1 tablespoon of the flavoured butter. Divide the capers and shallots between them.
DIRTY COOK THE SCALLOPS
Put the shells directly onto the coals, close the Dome and cook for 3–5 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and the scallops are lightly cooked.
Serve topped with an extra squeeze of lemon juice and bread to mop up the juices. This may be my favourite afterburner. It works really well as a starter, cooked after the main course is done and resting. Have everything ready to go, in the fridge. Be vigilant; scallops don’t take long and it is easy to overcook them, and take care lifting the scallops out – dripping liquid butter onto the charcoal will cause flare-ups.
Recipe from Cooking on the Big Green Egg by James Whetlor (Quadrille 2021)
