2019 KEEN HOME COOK WINNER: JAMES HOOPER

PART OF THE CIRCULON CHALLENGE 2019.

Seared Scallops with Cucumber Salad

"This is a romantic meal for two, tasting special but relatively easy to cook. The starter tastes fresh with the cucumber salad."

Ingredients

• 6 king scallops

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cucumber

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• Pinch of curry powder

• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt

• Squeeze of lemon and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to serve

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​Method

1. For the salad, peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and then slice thinly.

2. Put in a sieve over a bowl and sprinkle with the sea salt.

3. Leave for 25 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

4. Pat dry and put in a small bowl.

5. Add the lemon juice, the curry powder, the yogurt and a good pinch of ground black pepper. Mix well.

6. Pat the scallops dry and season.

7. Heat a heavy-based pan and add the oil.

8. Once hot, fry the scallops for 90 seconds on each side.

9. To serve, arrange the cucumber salad in a circle on a plate and put the scallop in the centre. Squeeze over a little lemon juice and drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil.

10. Finally, grind over a little black pepper.

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