Canapé recipes – scallops on sautéed potatoes

Hello from Lockdown London. I’ve unfortunately been experiencing something of a blogger’s block and, looking back at my last post, see that it is six weeks since I last posted. Not sure I’ve ever been silent on here for that long. I hope you’ve missed me!

And, yes, we are still in lockdown. It’s been a year in the UK since we were told to Stay At Home. Though we did have a bit of respite and some brief freedom in summer. In theory it’s just under three weeks until restaurants reopen (for outdoor eating only) and another five after that before international travel is potentially legal. But a third wave of Covid is enveloping Europe as I write and countries are locking down there, so who knows what’s going to happen next.

All this means I have no exciting restaurants or travel experiences to tell you about unfortunately. I have been doing a lot of cooking (obviously) and way back in November we started a new tradition creating cocktails and canapés every Friday. You’ve gotta find your own way to get through this. I have shared some of my cocktails on here, like this White Hot Guava Surprise  (hope you’ve tried it). And now that I’ve dragged myself out of my torpor (I hope) there’s loads more to share.

Starting today with this delightful, delicate canapé my husband Terry created and cooked. Fresh scallops are quickly seared in fresh ginger and chilli oil and placed on top of a crispy sautéed potato that’s been spread with the sweetness of pea puree and shreds of that crispy ginger. It’s quite simply a miraculous mix of flavours and textures.

The method

Sautéed potatoes

Peel and boil your potatoes until they are just cooked. Drain and slice into thin pieces. Add the oil and butter to the frying pan and when hot lay the potatoes in a single layer. Cook on a medium heat for about 15 minutes on each side until golden and lightly crispy.

Pea puree

Put 500g of pea puree into a pan of boiling water and bring back to the boil for 1 minute. Drain and blanche with cold water. Return the peas into the pan and heat. Add 50g of butter and a large handful of fresh mint leaves and blend using a hand blender. Keep warm until you need it. I always make a big batch of minty pea puree (I love peas). It’s a tasty thing to have in the fridge and matches really well with fish or lamb particularly.

Scallops

Heat the chilli oil in a saucepan. Peel the ginger and cut into matchstick-size strips. Fry for 5 mins until starting to slightly crisp. Add the scallops to the hot pan and sear  for about two minutes on each side until nicely browned.

To assemble, lay your potatoes on a platter and spread with the pea puree. Top with a couple of matchsticks of ginger and finally, the scallop.

It’s a canapé that takes a bit of time and effort but boy is it worth it. Give it a try. And look out for plenty more cocktail and canapé ideas coming soon. You’re gonna have to have a party!