Warm Salad of Scallops, Coral Foam and Lemon Ketchup

Servings: 4

Cook Time: 2 hours [PT2H]

Ingredients:

12 scallops

olive oil

fleur de sel, preferably Majorcan

white pepper

Coral foam:

sage

chives

chervil

parsley

basil

3 sheets of gelatin, or 1/4 oz gelatin packet

mineral water

Salad:

endive

lettuce

oak leaf

rocket

2 oz sea green beans, rock samphire, or capers

Citric sea jelly:

1/2 cup seawater

lemon rind

1 sheet gelatin

Lemon ketchup:

2 1/4 lb ripe tomatoes

rind of 1 lemon

2 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

juice of half a lemon

2 1/2 tbsp muscodavo sugar

1 1/2 tbsp Modena vinegar or Rioja vinegar

salt and pepper

Crisp sticks:

1 brioche

Preparation:

Scallops:

Open, wash and keep the nuggets. Separate the corals for the foam.

Coral and herb foam:

Gently fry the coral in a little oil with salt and pepper. Add 1 3/4 cups boiling mineral water. Skim, leave to cook for just two minutes, then strain and set aside. In 1 1/8 cups lightly-salted mineral water, blanch 1/2 oz fresh mixed herbs. Blend and strain. Mix the coral broth with the herb broth and add the dissolved gelatin. Chill until lightly set. Using an electric whisk, beat for 10 to 12 minutes until three times the original volume. Transfer to a wide, flat mold from which individual servings can be cut easily.

Salad:

Wash the salads well and cut into thin, regular strips.

Citric sea jelly:

Bring 1/2 cup seawater to the boil, add a little blanched lemon rind and a little ground white pepper. Strain then add the gelatine. Leave to set in a large mold from which perfect, small dice can be cut.

Lemon ketchup:

Blanch, peel and cut up the ripe tomatoes. Place very flat pieces of tomato on a baking sheet without overlapping. Drizzle with a little oil, and sprinkle with salt, sugar and lemon rind. Bake at 215 degrees F for two hours. Crush very finely with the rest of the ketchup ingredients and set aside.

Brioche sticks:

Cut the brioche into long, thin sticks. Dry out in the oven at 175 degrees F for 20 minutes. Keep in an airtight tin.

To serve:

Sauté the salad vegetables, season with salt and pepper and arrange in a mound along the center of the plate. Top with the lightly griddled scallops, dressed with oil and fleur de sel. At the side, place some coral foam, the citric seawater jelly and a few strips of lemon ketchup. Add a few brioche sticks, some chives and chervil.

By Carme Ruscalleda, Restaurante Sant Pau, San Pol del Mar
Recipe courtesy of Spain GourmeTour magazine