Seared Scallops with Carrot Cream, Dukkah & Chive Oil

Leen

Feb 25

This festive appetizer is almost entirely make-ahead, except for the scallops, which are best cooked fresh. It features a sweet and silky carrot cream, fragrant dukkah spice mix, vibrant chive oil, and buttery soft scallops. A special yet delicate combination of flavors!

I prepared both a small appetizer with one scallop and a larger plate with three scallops, so you can adjust based on your serving preference.

All specialty spices can be found at Asian or Middle Eastern supermarkets or ordered online.

Recipe for 2 Large or 6 Small Appetizers

🕒 Prep Time: 45 minutes

For the Scallops:

6 scallops
½ tsp vadouvan (a fragrant French-Indian spice blend)
Salt to taste
30g butter

For the Carrot Cream:

5 carrots
¼ tsp vadouvan
2 tbsp olive oil
20ml heavy cream
15g butter
Salt to taste

For the Dukkah:

1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
Salt to taste

For Garnishing:

Fresh chives
Green chive oil (recipe posted previously)

Make-Ahead Steps:

Carrot Cream:

Peel and slice the carrots.
Boil them in salted water for 25 minutes until soft.
Meanwhile, briefly sauté the vadouvan in a small amount of olive oil to enhance its aroma.
Drain the carrots and blend them into a smooth purée using an immersion blender.
Add the vadouvan oil, butter, and cream, and mix well.
Store in a glass container with a lid until ready to serve.

Dukkah:

Toast all the dukkah ingredients in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush until coarsely ground. The texture should remain slightly chunky.
Store in an airtight container.

Final Preparation & Plating:

Reheat the carrot purée gently.
Warm the serving plates (this helps maintain the heat when served).
Season the raw scallops with vadouvan and salt to taste.
Heat the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes per side until golden brown but still tender inside.