Fish dish of the week from the Magpie Cafe
Try this delicious scallop dish as a shared starter for two.
Ingredients
6 king scallops (sliced in half)
4 slices of ciabatta
80g goats curd
For the bacon jam:
Half kilo smoked streaky bacon
2 large red onions (thinly sliced)
400g dark brown soft sugar
250ml strong black coffee
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method
Cut the bacon into lardons and place into a pan and fry until golden in colour.
Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside, add the onions to the pan and sauté until softened and lightly coloured.
Add the bacon back to the pan with the onions and add the sugar and black coffee, stir well.
Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cook until the jam becomes syrupy, remove from the heat and add the balsamic vinegar.
Chill, this can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Heat a pan and add a little oil.
When hot, carefully lay in the scallops and pan sear for one minute over a moderately high heat, turn the scallops over and cook for a further minute.
To serve...
Toast the slices of ciabatta, and spread over the goats curd. Spoon on some of the bacon jam and then lay on the scallops and serve.
Goats curd can be bought online or in good delis, but if you struggle, as an alternative buy a quality goats cheese, crumble it up, add a little double cream and lightly warm it.
Mix until smooth with the back of a spoon, it should resemble a soft cream cheese.