KATKAT'S KITCHEN

Seared Scallops On a bed of Chorizo, red peppers and White beans is not a complicated recipe, but care has to be taken with the scallops. Scallops are expensive and if overcooked they are like leather, and they overcook very quickly, which is one of the reasons you add fresh lime or lemon juice to add flavour and stop the cooking process dead.

It has been very hot in London today about 27 degrees and that is almost unheard of at any time, never mind the last day of September. As I adhere to my Spanish background I always have chorizo in the fridge, and I eat a lot of white beans so I always have a can ready for a dip, or to add to soups or casserole. Today I went to the fish market and could not resist these fresh scallops. I hate shelling them but love eating them, if you are squeamish about scallops in the shells get your fishmonger to take them out for you.

I went to see a client today, Damien Martin in Fulham Broadway and passed a fish market on the way. I bought a kilo of them with no real idea of what to do with them. A classic Spanish is scallops with Morcilla de Burgos, or black pudding, but I could not get black pudding, but then I realised that the strong flavoured chorizo would balance the scallops just as well. Chorizo – the fresh sausage, not the dried salami oozes beautiful orange oil over the sweet, white scallops, which looks delightful.

Ingredients for

Seared Scallops On a bed of Chorizo, red peppers and White beans

1 kilo of scallops out of their shells
1 small leek, white only sliced very finely
3 red peppers
1/2 tin of white beans
Handful of fresh lemon thyme

Method
Roast the red peppers whole in the oven by placing on a metal dish and cook on medium until the skin is charred in places and covered in blisters. Put in a bowl and add a plate on the top and leave to rest for ten minutes, so the steam will loosen the pepper skin. Remove from container and peel off the skin. Cut the pepper in half, core and remove seeds and slice thinly.

Slice the chorizo into rounds no more than ¼cm thick. Place a pan over a medium heat and dry fry the chorizo for about two minutes until it oozes the lovely orange paprika oil. Take out the chorizo and add the leek and cook for one minute. Add the peppers, the white beans and the thyme to heat through.

Heat a heavy based pan until very hot, not quite smoking, but very hot add a little olive oil and then the scallops, cook for one minute and add the lime juice. Serve on top of the chorizo, leeks, beans and peppers.

Seared Scallops On a bed of Chorizo, red peppers and White beans, the alternatives

I served this as an afternoon snack rather than a meal but it can be made more substantial by adding more scallops, leek, beans and smoky bacon. Add chilli oil if you want more spice. I did not add garlic because the Spanish chorizo is loaded with garlic, but you can add garlic to taste. Seared Scallops On a bed of Chorizo, red peppers and White beans is the perfect end to summer, and it would make a lovely starter for Spanish Pizza