How to cook the perfect pan-fried scallops

It’s the year 2050 and the Galway market is full of Irish scallops in the shell to buy and bring home and open in the comfort of one’s own domicile. Restaurants, too, have the pleasure of cooking scallops in the shell and serving them, brushed with brown butter and dressed with Achill Island sea salt.

Sounds far fetched? It probably is. Over the past eight years I’ve written many times regarding the state of our indigenous scallop industry. Does anyone care about it? I’m sure many do but it’s difficult to think it will ever change.

This doesn’t take away from the fact that I love scallops in the autumn, as they work so well with the feast of flavours that accompany the fall. Runner beans, cauliflower, beetroot and squash all pair wonderfully with pan-fried scallops. The trick with pan-frying scallops is that they need to be fresh and they need to be relatively dry. That is, they cannot be soaking wet from sitting in their own juices.

Scallops with roasted squash purée and hazelnuts

To make the squash purée, peel two butternut squash and remove the seeds. Dice the squash and place in a suitable roasting tray. Dress with oil and thyme and roast in a 180 degree oven until soft. Place in a food processor and add 100g of cubed butter and a pinch of sea salt. Blend until smooth and pass through a sieve to make it extra smooth.

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To fry the scallops, season with salt and heat some oil in a frying pan. I prefer to remove the roe before cooking, but it’s up to you. Place your scallops into the pan and allow to caramelise on one side. When you’re happy with the colour, add a few knobs of butter and a sprig of thyme. Allow the butter to foam and baste over the scallops. There’s no need to turn them. Remove and place on a warm tray to rest. To serve, spoon a dollop of the purée in the centre of the plate. Serve three scallops per portion. Finish the dish with plenty of grated hazelnut.