Hand-dived scallop and monkfish skewers with potato al forno
Scallops and monkfish skewers drizzled with an aromatic anchovy and caper dressing and served with a wintry potato al forno.
Ingredients
For the potato al forno
- 300g/10½oz Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm/½in cubes
- 10 garlic cloves, skin left on
- ¼ Treviso radicchio or radicchio, cut into 5mm/¼in thick wedges
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú Kalamata olives, stones removed
- 1 blood orange, skin on and cut into 3cm/1¼in thick wedges
- 6 sage leaves, soaked in water for 20 seconds
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the skewers
- 2 large rosemary sprigs, about 25cm/10in long and soaked in water
- 6 hand-dived scallops, cleaned and roe on
- 200g/7oz monkfish fillet, cut into 6 chunks of a similar size to the scallops
- vegetable oil, for frying
For the dressing
- 400–500ml/14–18fl oz vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 4 large rosemary sprigs
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú capers in brine, drained, rinsed in cold water for 30 seconds and patted dry
- 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- 150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive oil
Method
To make the potato al forno, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Line a roasting tin with baking paper. Place the potatoes, garlic, Treviso, olives and blood orange in the tin. Add the sage leaves and oil, season with salt and pepper and mix until everything is well coated. Roast for about 30–40 minutes until the potatoes are cooked, stirring every 10 minutes. If you prefer the olives less cooked, add them halfway through. Add the vinegar and stir through, ensuring it's evenly distributed. Put everything back in the oven for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the skewers and dressing. To make the skewers, remove the rosemary needles from the sprigs but leave about four needles at the top. Cut the bases of the sprigs at an angle to create spikes and add a scallop to each skewer followed by a monkfish chunk. Repeat until there are 3 scallops and 3 monkfish chunks on each skewer. Chill until ready to cook.
To make the dressing, pour the vegetable oil into a saucepan that is three times deeper than the amount of oil. Heat the oil over a low–medium heat until it reaches about 180C. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) To test the oil is hot enough, drop in a rosemary needle to see if it sizzles and goes crispy. If the oil starts to smoke, the oil is burnt and will need to be cooled and discarded.
Line a plate with kitchen paper. Add the rosemary sprigs to the oil for about 60 seconds until crispy but still green (be very careful because the oil bubbles up and, if the saucepan isn’t high enough, it will spill over). Use metal tongs to turn the rosemary if it is not submerged in oil. Take the rosemary out with the tongs and place on the kitchen paper to drain.
Line another plate with fresh kitchen paper. Put a metal sieve over a heatproof bowl that is large enough to comfortably contain the hot oil. Add the capers to the hot oil in the saucepan and fry for about 2 minutes until crispy. Pour the mixture through the sieve and then carefully transfer the drained capers to the kitchen paper. Alternatively, use a slotted spoon to remove the capers from the oil onto the kitchen paper.
Take the crispy rosemary needles off the sprigs and crush using a pestle and mortar until the rosemary turns to dust. Add the anchovies and pound until they form a paste. Add the capers and olive oil and stir. Set aside the dressing.
To cook the skewers, remove from the fridge and bring up to room temperature. Preheat a frying pan large enough to fit the skewers over a medium–high heat. Rub the skewers, scallops and fish with the oil and season with salt. Put the skewers into the hot frying pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side until the scallops and fish chunks are just cooked.
To serve, place the skewers on warm plates, drizzle the dressing over and serve the potato al forno on the side.
