Scallops with quails eggs and pea puree

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 10 scallops - 2 ½ scallops per person
• 12 quails' eggs - 3 per person
• 4 strips pancetta or streaky bacon
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of curry powder

For the pea puree

• 200g frozen peas
• 50ml warm chicken stock

For the vinaigrette

• 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar

Method: How to make scallops with quails eggs

and pea puree

1. To make the pea puree simply blanch the peas in the chicken stock for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Drain and transfer to a liquidizer. Add the chicken stock and blend until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Fry the pancetta slices until completely crisped and golden. Remove to rest on kitchen paper.

3. To make the vinaigrette, simple combine the oil and vinegar in a bowl, whisk in sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

4. Trim the scallops and slice each one in half horizontally, so that one scallop produces two even slices. Season with the tiniest pinch of curry powder. Heat some olive oil in a large heavy based pan until very hot and sauté the scallop slices quickly - roughly 30 seconds on each side. Lift them out onto a warm plate and set aside.

5. Cook the quails' eggs in two batches. Heat some oil in a large pan. Carefully crack the quail’s eggs open and drop them into the medium hot pan. Fry for 1 - 1 ½ minutes until the whites are opaque and firm but the yolks are still quite runny. Remove to a warm plate. Add a little more oil to the pan to cook the second batch.

6. Pipe six coin size rounds of pea puree onto the serving plate, Arrange five scallop discs on top, place the fried quail’s eggs onto the top of 3 of the scallops. And finish with the crisp pancetta.

7. Drizzle with vinaigrette to finish.