This is a real Chef’s recipe which I made adjustments to. I would like to address my very special thanks to the team of cuisine teachers from the Professional Cooking High School Escofier for letting me publish their recipe on my blog. You may find it on Page 25 of their book : Saveurs du Lagon de Nouvelle Calédonie (Solaris Edition) a beautiful recipe book.
lemongrass scallops skewers with creamy rice and passion fruit sauce
Marinated time : 2 hours. This dish is a good choice for special occasions. The scallops should be nice and plump, without the coral on and should be super fresh. If your guests exceed 6 people, you will need the help of one or two of them to set the whole thing because the dish needs to stay hot to taste its best. The Chefs like to use a few drops of pesto for decoration on the plate and like to set a long green spring onion on the side.
Ingredients
- FOR THE MARINADE :
- 3 fresh lemongrass sticks
- a small bunch of fresh coriander
- 3 cm (one inch) fresh ginger roots
- 1 pinch of Espelette chili powder
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 small glass of white wine
- FOR THE SKEWERS :
- 12 scallops
- 4 medium-size wooden skewers
- a pinch of Espelette chili powder
- a tsp curry
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 80 gr butter
- 2 passion fruits
- salt and pepper from the mill
- FOR THE RICE :
- 200 gr round rice
- 1 or 2 green spring onions
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 80 gr parmesan cheese
- 3 TBS light sour cream
- 1 stem of parsley
- 2 stems of chives
- rest of the coriander leaves
- salt and pepper from the mill
Directions
- Step 1 You need to prepare the marinade to begin with : mix the lemongrass, the coriander stems (keep the leaves for the rice), the ginger, the white wine and the olive oil. Add the Espelette chili powder and put this preparation in a dish along with the scallops. Mix the whole thing, cover with Saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Step 2 Remove the veins from the scallops and place them on paper towel to drain. You may discard the marinade. Now you may prepare the skewers. Once all lined in place on the skewers, season with the curry, chili and salt. Set aside at room temperature, you will cook them only when ready to serve.
- Step 3 To prepare the creamy rice : chop the green onion and cook it a few minutes only in the olive oil. Do not fry, it should be slightly cooked and keep the green color. Cook the round rice according to the directions on the package. When the rice is cooked, add the onion, the 3 TBS of light sour cream and the parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Keep warm in a double boiler. The chopped chives will be added at the last minute.
- Step 4 To prepare the sauce, warm up the butter until melted, the sour cream and the passion fruit’s pulp. Add the rest of the seasoning and set aside as it is now ready. All what’s left to do is cook the scallops. As it only takes a very short time, I advise you to start cooking the skewers only after inviting your guests to take place at the table. Wine and water should already be served and nothing should be missing on the table. Personally, I cook them in a hot non-stick skillet with a little oil. It only takes about 3 minutes, they need to be turned over regularly and need to remain tender.
- Step 5 Place the skewers straight onto the creamy rice at the center of the plate and the sauce on one side. The risotto and the sauce are to be served hot of course!
