Scallops in passion fruit sauce
February 8, 2010 • Category: Main Dish, Fish/Seafood
I got the idea for the vinaigrette from La Cuisine de Mercotte; when I moved to France in the seventies, the most incredible food I tasted was a passion fruit sorbet. I wanted to find it in the US, to no avail. Finally, supermarkets started to carry passion fruit, in the exotic fruit section. If you buy one, get the crinkled ones and hold them to make sure they are somewhat heavy; otherwise, you will end up with one that has almost no flesh. If you have never tasted passion fruit, you should! I found some frozen passion fruit juice at Indian groceries.
This meal can be made in a jiffy and yet it is somewhat fancy; with the passion fruit addition, it fits the Valentine theme.
INGREDIENTS: For two servings
- 8 large sea scallops
- olive oil
- 1 bunch of asparagus, green and white or only one type
- 2 or 3 passion fruits (depending on size)
- Spices: salt, pepper, sugar
If you want to make the tuiles, these can be done 2 days before and kept in a tightly closed container. You will use shredded parmesan cheese. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and heat the oven to 375F; position a hear-shaped cookie cutter (metal!) on the parchment paper and fill it with 2 tablespoons of cheese. Bake for about 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to turn color. Watch it carefully because it will burn rather quickly. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute or so, then tap it gently with a knife to dislodge the tuile. Store or use that day.
METHOD:
- Start with the vinaigrette:
Grab a serrated knife and cut the passion fruits in two. Scoop out the flesh (including the seeds) into a bowl. Using your taste as a guide, add some sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil and whip to emulsify.
- Cook the scallops:
Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Dry the scallops with a paper towel, sprinkle with seasoning and pan-fry on both sides, waiting to brown lightly one side and then flipping them to the other side, about 3 minutes per side depending on their size and thickness (they will shrink). Set aside in a warm oven.
- Cook the asparagus:
While the asparagus are cooking, boil some water or steam the asparagus over boiling water for 5 minutes or so until tender. Remove, drain and place on a serving plate.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
On each plate, place 3 asparagus stalks of each color, joining them together at the tip in a warm embrace. Add the sizzling scallops on top in a neat row. Drizzle some passion fruit vinaigrette and let it drip, unrestrained, all over the plate. Stick a parmesan tuile in between the asparagus stalks.
Comments
23 Comments • Comments Feed
The London Foodie says:
I love passion fruit, we eat it a lot in Brazil (where i was born) but mostly in drinks. I saw recently another recipe from a Japanese/Brazilian restaurant where they marinate salmon in sweet white miso and use passion fruit to make the sauce. I love savoury-sweet combos like this!
Your recipe is very seasonal too, love the heart-shaped tuilles!
Luiz @ The London Foodie
On February 8, 2010 at 11:06 am
Sushma Mallya says:
wow what a beautiful presentation,…i really love all the pics u post….and dishes are so unique as well
On February 8, 2010 at 11:27 am
Rachana Kothari says:
Beautiful presentation!!!! And lovely clicks!
On February 8, 2010 at 11:58 am
Juliana says:
Passion fruit vinagrette? Sounds and looks absolutely delicious with scallops…nice presentation and the pictures are awesome!
On February 8, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Angie@Angie's Recipe says:
wow…ain’t it a perfect V-day dinner dish! I love scallops!
On February 8, 2010 at 1:42 pm
peter says:
Beautiful plating and I do like passion fruit but my eye is on the scallops- still the star of this course.
On February 8, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Kitchen Butterfly says:
I like…very much – the asparagus looks great and the tuiles too
On February 8, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Rosa says:
Very nicely presented! Great flavors!
Cheers,
Rosa
On February 8, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Priya says:
Woww wat a beautiful dish..
On February 8, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Julie says:
Voici une recette et une présentation très originales!!
C’est une superbe idée,
Gros bisous!
On February 8, 2010 at 3:05 pm
TastyTrix says:
I would be thrilled to get this dish in a restaurant, it’s superb! And the tuile is such a great touch.
On February 8, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Faith says:
Thanks so much for your submission to All Through the Year Cheer! This dish is absolutely beautiful…so romantic and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
On February 8, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Simi Mathew says:
The picture looks perfect….the concoction of flavours sounds amazing- can’t wait to try some myself.
On February 8, 2010 at 9:05 pm
sophia says:
You’re truly brilliant. How do you come up with these amazing ideas? I love the Parmesan tuille, and what a creative way to use passionfruit!
On February 8, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Diana (Soap & Chocolate) says:
How beautiful! Certainly this meal has aphrodisiac qualities. I would take those scallops on a date, at least. 😉
On February 8, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Joanne says:
this dish is so very decadent, especially with those tuilles which are adorable. Scallops are just out-of-the-ordinary enough to make it a special dish and the passion fruit adds that extra something. Beautiful.
On February 8, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Cherine says:
Perfect for Valentine’s day!! i love scallops and the pictures are great 🙂
On February 9, 2010 at 2:59 am
peachkins says:
the passion fruit vinaigrette is very interesting!
On February 9, 2010 at 3:03 am
delices eyes says:
J’aime beaucoup l’association des saint jacques avec les fruits de la passion.
Bonne journée
On February 9, 2010 at 6:54 am
Jeanne @ Cooksister! says:
We grew up with passion fruit in South Africa – never realised I would like somewhere that it was a sought-after delicacy! I love everything about this combination, especially those tuilles!
On February 11, 2010 at 3:47 pm
spice says:
never cooked scallops at home….perfect platter for V day…
On February 12, 2010 at 1:24 am
domi says:
Ce plat en plus d’ être bon est trop mignon, en vérité c’est un amour de présentation gourmande, bises
On March 14, 2011 at 4:33 am