In season in New Zealand from late August scallops are best bought fresh and served with simple, light ingredients and a dash of lemon.
Serves 4
340g cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
560g fresh broad bean pods, shelled
3 tbsp champagne vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (extra)
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
12 large scallops
1 Preheat oven to 200C. Put the tomatoes in a small baking dish. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over the tomatoes and gently jostle to coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for 15 minutes or until they are heated through and just beginning to split. Set the tomatoes aside to cool slightly.
2 Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 1–2 minutes. Drain and transfer the beans to a bowl of iced water to cool. Peel the cooled beans and set aside.
3 Whisk the vinegar and olive oil (extra) in a large bowl to blend. Add the tomatoes, beans and mint to the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
4 Preheat a heavy skillet to medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper and rub the remaining olive oil over them. Arrange the scallops, seasoned side down, in the pan and cook for about 2 minutes without moving them. Sprinkle more salt and pepper over the scallops.
5 Using a metal spatula, turn the scallops and cook for a further 2 minutes or until they are just opaque in the centre and golden brown on both sides. (The scallops shouldn’t be cooked all the way through.)
6 Spoon the salad onto the centre of 4 plates, dividing evenly. Put 3 scallops on top of each salad. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Serve.