Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops with...Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops with Sunchoke Purée and Brown Butter Dashi

Perfectly caramelized U10 scallops set atop a silky, velvety sunchoke purée, finished with quick-pickled shimeji mushrooms and a rich, aerated brown butter dashi emulsion.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   In a small saucepan, bring the rice vinegar, 50ml of water, and sugar to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the trimmed shimeji mushrooms in a heatproof bowl. Let them compress and quick-pickle at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

2. 02

   In a separate saucepan, combine the chopped sunchokes, heavy cream, and 50g of unsalted butter. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sunchokes are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a high-speed blender and process until completely smooth and velvety. Pass through a fine chinois, season with kosher salt, and keep warm.

3. 03

   To make the emulsion, melt 80g of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling constantly until it turns a deep amber brown and smells nutty. Immediately whisk in the dashi stock, mirin, and white soy sauce to stop the cooking. Keep warm; right before serving, use a hand immersion blender to aerate the sauce until a stable foam forms on top.

4. 04

   Thoroughly pat the scallops dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with sea salt. Heat the grapeseed oil in a heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke.

5. 05

   Place the scallops in the pan, ensuring they do not touch. Sear undisturbed for 2 minutes to develop a deep, golden-brown crust. Flip the scallops, add the remaining 20g of butter to the pan, and baste the scallops with the foaming butter for exactly 30 seconds. Transfer immediately to a warm plate lined with paper towels to drain.

6. 06

   To plate, spoon a generous pool of warm sunchoke purée onto the center of two warm plates. Arrange three scallops elegantly on top of the purée. Garnish with the drained pickled shimeji mushrooms and sea grapes. Spoon the frothy brown butter dashi emulsion around the purée, and finish the scallops with a delicate sprinkle of Fleur de sel.