Scallops with Serrano Ham

Recipe for Scallops

Scallops and serrano ham make a perfect starter course. This is a Rick Stein recipe that is really quick and easy to make.

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I recently ordered some fish and seafood from an online store and the quality was excellent.

The Fish Society buy a year's supply during the abundant summer months which means we can enjoy ethically dived scallops from Christmas through to Easter.

The scallops are hand shucked at the source with great care and immediately frozen.

When cooked frozen fish is indistinguishable from fresh fish. Hand-dived scallops have been caught by divers; yes they do cost quite a bit more but are so much better than using environmentally destructive dredgers.

Most scallops in the UK are caught using heavy-toothed dredgers: two-tonne steel frames with chainmail collecting bags and teeth that penetrate the seabed, which is dragged behind a trawler.

According to the charity Open Seas, scallop dredging is the worst method of fishing for sea life because of the damage it causes to the seabed habitat and its species.

Above image by Henry Perks on Unsplash

Scallops with or without the coral

You can buy them with or without the coral but personally, I much prefer them with.

The bright orange roe is firmer and lighter than the rest of the scallop with a more pronounced seafood flavour. The roe cooks at the same rate as the rest of the scallop.

Did you know scallops are considered a power food?

According to Men's Health scallops are more than 80 percent protein. One 85g serving provides 20 grams of protein and is just 95 calories. They're also a good source of both magnesium and potassium.

And apparently, the same size serving contains 35 milligrams of cholesterol and 0.19 grams of both saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.

Anyway back to the recipe!

I thought I'd share with you this totally delicious recipe from the book Fish and Shellfish by Rick Stein.

Personally, I could easily just eat scallops seared in butter on their own!

I'm not trying to sound like an advert here but honestly and seriously, these Dived Scallops from The Fish Society are seriously the best I've ever eaten.

How many scallops do you need per person?

I say 2-3 scallops for a starter and 3-4 for the main course.

Ingredients in this Recipe

• 2 slices of Serrano ham (or similar cured ham)

• A handful of baby salad leaves

• 25g Chilled unsalted butter

• 6 Scallops - ideally with roe (coral)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley - chopped

Other scallop starter recipes include:

Scallops with Chorizo  Scallops with Crispy Pancetta and Lemon Butter Sauce

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

recipe for scallops, seared scallops, seafood recipe, rick stein recipes

Seafood, starter, recipe

Spanish

Yield: 2

Author: Jan Bennett

Scallops with Serrano Ham

With or without the roe (coral) the cooking times are the same. It's hard to give an exact time because it depends on the size of your scallops.

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 3 MinTotal time: 8 Min

Ingredients

• 2 slices of Serrano ham (or similar cured ham)
• a handful of baby salad leaves
• 25g chilled unsalted butter
• 6 scallops - ideally with their roe (coral)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Flat leaf parsley - chopped

Instructions

1. Arrange the salad leaves on 2 plates. Rub the base of a large non-stick frying pan with a little of the butter and cut the remainder into small pieces.
2. Season the scallops on just one side.
3. Put the pan to heat and, as soon as the butter starts to smoke, add the scallops (seasoned side down) and sear for about 1 to 1 and a half minute then turn and season the other side.
4. Sear for about 1 more minute by which time they should be cooked, take care not to overcook them.
5. Arrange the scallops on top of the ham.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sherry vinegar and stir to scrape up any residue from the bottom of the pan.
7. Return the pan to the heat, add the cubed butter, a few pieces at a time, then add the parsley and season with a little pepper.
8. Spoon the dressing over the scallops and serve.

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