by Elena Silcock from Salads Are More Than Leaves (Hamlyn)
Photography: Chloe Hardwick
I make this salad as much for the oily joy on the plate as for the scallops
themselves; as soon as you make it, you’ll get what I mean. The
crunchy corn is a revelation, and if you skip it, you’d be missing out!
Serves 4
Time 35 mins
Ingredients
4 corn on the cobs
45g (1½ oz) unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves
80g (2¾ oz) ’nduja or sliced chorizo sausage
olive oil, if using chorizo
500g (1lb 2oz) cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch (about 30g/1oz) flat leaf parsley
1 small bunch (about 30g/1oz) coriander
500g (1lb 2oz) raw scallops
1 lime
salt and pepper
DRESSING
Lemon & Olive Oil (see recipe below) swapping the lemon juice for lime juice
TOPPERS
a few of the herbs in the recipe
crunchy corn (this may be called snacking corn or corn nuts in your local supermarket)
SUBS: VE Use paprika instead of ’nduja and oyster mushrooms
instead of scallops; swap the butter for olive oil for vegans.
GET AHEAD: Make the dressing in advance. Grill the corn cobs and
cut off the kernels up to 3 hours in advance, then leave in the dressing.
Nice on the side: Bread (for sweeping up the oily juices) or green salad.
Serve with a potato salad or courgette & couscous.
Method
1. Preheat the grill to high. Bring a wide pan of water to the boil. Add the corn cobs and boil for 5 minutes, remove with tongs and pat dry with kitchen paper. Place on a baking tray, brush with a little of the butter and grill for 10–15 minutes, turning frequently, until they’re charred on all sides.
2. Whisk up the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Stand each corn cob in turn upright and use a knife to slide down the cob and cut the kernels off. Add to the dressing.
3. Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Add the ’nduja or chorizo and garlic to the frying pan – if using chorizo, add a tiny splash of olive oil. Fry for 2–3 minutes until the ’nduja is turning a slightly darker red, then add to the bowl of dressing and corn.
4. Halve the tomatoes and add to the bowl. Pull the herb leaves from the stems, roughly chop most of them and add to the bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss, then transfer the salad to a platter.
5. Wipe out the frying pan, then heat over a high heat and add the remaining butter. Season the scallops. Once the butter is foaming, add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes, turn them over and cook for 1 minute on the other side. Transfer to the platter, snuggling them into the salad. Top with the remaining herbs and crunchy corn. Finish with a crack of black pepper. Slice the lime into wedges and serve on the side.
Lemon & Olive Oil Dressing
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1-2 lemons, depending on how juice your lemons are (about 2-4 tablespoons) – I tend to start with squeezing 1 juicy lemon, taste and add more to taste, squeeze the juice of another directly in to the salad before serving if needed.
Salt & pepper
OPTION: add a pinch of sugar
Method
Put the oil and lemon juice in a large serving or mixing bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Alternatively, put the ingredients in a clean jam jar, screw on the lid tightly and shake well. Store the jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
