Nga Nguyen

Seared scallops with sweet potatoes

Scout season just started. That meant I was sweating over tons of hand-stitched badges.

On the bright side, kids camped over night and over the weekends. Yippee!!! We can have some quiet time at home now.

Seared scallops with sweet potatoes

(Adapted from Cantinho do Avillez)

Serve 4

Fried sweet potatoes:
2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced 1-cm thick)
Olive oil
Sea salt

Cherry tomato confit:
1 lb cherry tomatoes
6 tbs olive oil
A few sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
4-5 whole black peppercorns

Green asparagus:
1 lb green asparagus
Iced water + 1 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Olive oil
Sea salt

Balsamic vinegar reduction:
125 ml balsamic vinegar

Scallops:
1 lb wild-caught scallops
1 litre of water
20 g salt
Basil leaves (optional)
Sea salt

To make sweet potatoes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum.
  3. Drizzle olive oil on lined baking sheet.
  4. Layer sweet potato slices in one single layer.
  5. Sprinkle sea salt on top.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes.
  7. Set aside.

To make cherry tomato confit:

  1. Preheat oven to 190 F.
  2. Place all the ingredient in a baking tray.
  3. Roast for 30 minutes.
  4. Set aside (keep warm).

To make asparagus:

  1. Remove about 3cm of the base, and separate the tip from the stems.
  2. In a medium saucepan, boil water.
  3. Blanch the tips for 1 1/2 minutes and cool quickly in salted iced water.
  4. Blanch the stems for 2 minutes and cool quickly in salted iced water.
  5. Drain and dry.
  6. Set aside.

To make balsamic vinegar reduction:

  1. Place the balsamic vinegar in a small pan.
  2. Heat over low heat until about 90% of its volume evaporate.
  3. Set aside.

To prepare the scallops:

  1. In a large bowl, combine 1 litre of water + 20g salt.
  2. Brine the scallops for 30 minutes.
  3. Drain and pat dry.
  4. Set aside.

To put everything together:

  1. In a large frying pan, fry the sweet potato slices in hot olive oil.
  2. In another large frying pan, heat olive oil and saute the asparagus with garlic slices + a few sprigs of thymes. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  3. In another large frying pan, heat olive oil and sear scallops on both sides.
  4. On a plate:
    • Serve the sweet potatoes, the cherry tomato confit, the seared scallops.
    • Add the asparagus over the scallops.
    • Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction.
    • Add a few basil leaves and sea salt.