ROASTED SCALLOPS WITH POUNDED RED CHILLI DRESSING
Serves 4 (See right)
8 medium live scallops
Red chilli dressing
1 long red chilli, seeded and chopped
2 red bird’s eye chillies, chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander root or coriander stem
1 tbsp chopped garlic
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp palm or brown sugar
1. To make the red chilli dressing, pound the chillies, coriander root, garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle to form a smooth paste. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix everything together until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for 15 minutes, allowing the flavours to mellow and marry together. It will taste spicy, sour and salty, with a background sweetness.
2. Clean the scallops. The best way to do this is to slide a table knife against the inside of the top (flat lid) shell, separating the scallop meat from the top shell. This will allow you to fully open the shell. Scoop the scallop out from the bottom (round bowl) shell using a tablespoon to separate the scallop meat from the bowl shell. Wash the scallop in a bowl of cold water, removing and discarding the black digestive tract. Set the white scallop meat and orange coral (roe) meat aside.
3. Clean the round bowl shell for presentation and repeat the process until all the scallops are cleaned.
Preheat the grill to a high heat. Cut the white scallop meat in half, leaving the orange coral whole. Return the scallops to their round bowl shells and arrange on a grill tray. Spoon
