I am a real fan of seafood. I don’t cook it as much as I should on the BBQ. As part of my 100th BBQ cook of 2017, I wanted to do something a little special. After doing a little reading after having some initial ideas, I came up with this Orange and Tarragon Scallop recipe.
It basically involves 4 different parts:
- The Scallops which need to be the start of the show;
- The Orange & Tarragon Sauce;
- The Puff Pastry Scallop shells;
- The Julienne vegetables.
Cooking the Scallops
These can be left until the last minute. I used the Weber GBS Skillet. A quick 2 minutes on each side will cook them perfectly.
Preparing the Puff Pastry Scallop Shells
I just used shop bought puff pastry. Take the scallop shell and brush with olive oil and then wrap the puff pastry over the shell. You need to rim it and then put to one side until you are ready to sick them in the over.
The Vegetables
For the veg I used courgette and rainbow carrots. Thinly slice the all into matchstick sized pieces. This is a technique known as julienne. Again, these can be prepared in advance and cooked closer to when you are ready to serve.
Orange and Tarragon Sauce
This is the most labour intensive part of this dish and the part that takes the longest. I would recommend preparing all the other elements first and then concentrate on making the sauce.
It sounds like there is lots to do here but I think by getting the prep done in advance it will really help in making this dish straightforward to do. I was really pleased how it came out and I think it would be perfect to serve on special occasions or when you are looking to impress guests.
Orange and Tarragon Scallops
- Prep Time20 min
- Cook Time25 min
- Total Time45 min
Ingredients
For the Scallops
- 6 Scallops
- 1 Orange
- 250g Butter (room temp)
- Bunch Fresh Tarragon
- 6 Peppercorns
- 1 Courgette
- 3 Rainbow Carrots
- 1 Puff Pastry sheet
- Salt
- 1/2 Onion
- Olive Oil
- 3 x tbsp White Wine Vinegar
- 1 x tbsp Orange juice
Method
Start by preparing your BBQ. I use Australian Heat Beads that will give a 3 hour cook time. I start by lighting the briquettes in the chimney starter before I start preparing the food so i can simply pour out into the BBQ once ready.
Next prepare the vegetables by thinly slicing them into matchstick sized pieces. You can ignore the seeds in the courgette and just cut around them. Do not peel your carrots as you will get rid of the skin as you square off the carrots. Once complete cover and put them the fridge until you are ready to use them.
Now brush the scallop shells with olive oil and cover them with the puff pastry. I found cutting a square and then covering the shells, gently pressing down and cutting off the surplus worked well. Put them to one side until ready to cook.
Zest the orange and combine with the juice from the orange, orange juice, vinegar, onion, the tarragon, salt and peppercorns. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and continue to cook until the liquid is starting to reduce down. This would be a good time to pour your coals into the BBQ.
Strain the liquid through a sieve and turn the heat right down so the liquid is just warming through.
Take 150g of the butter and whisk with a fork. Next take a table spoon of the butter and whisk into the orange and tarragon reduction. Do this is stages with the butter until you get a creamy sauce. Keep it on a low heat.
About 15 minutes before you want to eat add 2 knows of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan. Melt the butter and then add your vegetables. Make sure you cover the vegetables well. Cook for 10-15 minutes giving an occasional stir.
Straight after putting the vegetables on put your puff pastry shells into the oven. These should take around 10 minutes. Once done remove from the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Then carefully remove the pastry from the shell.
Now cook your scallops. This should just take a couple of minutes each side. On the BBQ skillet, I poured some olive oil a couple of minutes prior to cooking and then did 2 minutes each side.
Once the scallops are done you need to construct your dish. Place the pastry shell on the pate and sit 3 scallops in each. Next, take some of the julienne vegetables and arrange over the scallops. Finally, spoon over the Orange and Tarragon sauce over the scallops and vegetables.
To serve, place the other pastry shell over the scallops.
