Yes, it is absolutely & unequivocally as delicious as it looks…sweet, sour & perfectly caramelised on the surface, leading to a chunk of succulent flesh beneath, and best served in the singular for full impact…the real trick here is in the dual technique of cooking as the title reveals, since one style alone will not yield the right result for the quality of imported frozen scallops available in India.
The second most important element is the size of scallop, for it is essential to use the King size … I source mine from a supplier called Foodsmith Deli (www.foodsmith.in), and they are American (IMAGE 1).
First and foremost, de-frost them in the refrigerator overnight (STEP 1), then gently pull the side muscle off each scallop (not all will have them) (STEPS 2 & 3), and then dry them thoroughly on a cloth towel (STEP 4).
Next, gather together your marinade ingredients (IMAGE 2).
YIELD: 4 Portions of 1 x King Scallop per portion
- ¼ cup sake (available on Amazon, brand Umai)
- ¼ Mirin (available on Amazon, brand Umai)
- ¼ cup white miso paste (available on Amazon, brand Nature Onus)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ x recipe of cauliflower puree for serving (please refer to Prawn a la Kiev recipe, section Treat of the Week on diyasethi.com)
Place the sake and mirin in a pot over high heat (STEP 5), bring to a boil and boil for twenty seconds (STEP 6), then turn down the heat, add the miso paste and granulated sugar (STEPS 7 & 8), and whisk over the heat until the sugar is dissolved (STEPS 9 TO 11) … check with your finger for any sugar grains. Then remove from the heat, let it cool down completely. Place the dried scallops in a container (STEP 12), pour over the miso marinade until the scallops are complete submerged (STEPS 13 & 14). Cover and refrigerate for 2 days, turning over the scallops in the marinade once after 24 hours.
Two days later, remove the scallops from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Then prepare a makeshift steamer, if you don’t have a proper one, by placing a wire mesh sieve on top of a pot into which it will sit comfortably, with a lid to cover tightly (STEP 1), then pour boiling water up to a quarter of the height of the pot (STEP 2), sit the sieve on top (STEP 3) – please note that there must be a gab of at least 2 inches between the water and the bottom of the sieve – cover with the lid and let it steam empty for a few minutes (STEP 4), then place the scallop inside (STEPS 5 & 6), and cover and steam for exactly 4 minutes (STEP 7).
Then remove the scallop from the sieve (STEP 8), dip into the reserved marinade (STEP 9), heat a non-stick pan over medium heat until it is moderately hot (STEP 10), place the scallop into the pan and sear it on one side (STEP 11), spooning some of the marinade on top (STEP 12), then roll the scallop around in the sizzling marinade (STEP 13), then spoon some more marinade on top (STEP 14), turn up the heat and again roll the scallop around in the marinade until it has caramelised (STEP 15), and then remove from the frying pan (STEP 16).
To serve, spoon a circle of re-heated cauliflower puree using a ring mould of 6cm diameter onto the serving plate (STEPS 1 & 2), place a scallop on top (STEP 3), garnish with micro-herbs (STEP 4), & voila, serve this delectable treat to your lucky guests! (FINAL IMAGE)
Above: Final Image