Seared scallops with confit duck fritters and black pudding, garnished with pureed, foamed and sautéed garden peas by Andy Castle, Executive Head Chef at 39 Prime Restaurant in Reigate, Surrey.
Serves 4 as a starter dish
Ingredients
• 1 duck leg
• Bunch of fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 400g melted duck fat
• 200g shelled fresh peas (frozen peas will also work)
• 50ml whole milk
• 50g black pudding
• 1 finely chopped clove of garlic
• 50g plain flour
• 1 beaten large egg
• 100g breadcrumbs
• 75g scallops (cleaned and roe removed)
• Salt and pepper
Method
• Pre-heat the oven to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼. Place the duck leg skin side down in a saucepan with a few sprigs of thyme, the bay leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with the melted duck fat, place on a medium heat and bring to a temperature of 85C. Place in the oven for 3 hours.
• Divide the peas into three equal measures. The first is to make a smooth purée. For this you need a bowl of iced water and a pan of boiling water. Drop one lot of peas into the boiling water and cook until tender. Drain, retaining the water, and plunge into the iced water to chill. Once chilled place the peas into a blender and blitz, adding the cooking water bit by bit until you achieve a smooth purée consistency. Transfer the purée to a sieve and press through with the back of a ladle. Season and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. The second quantity is to make a foam. Gently simmer the peas in milk seasoned with sprigs of thyme and salt and pepper. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool, letting the peas infuse with the milk. Chill the remaining peas until ready to serve.
• Prepare the black pudding by finely dicing half, ready to be mixed with the confit duck. Cut the other half into lardons ready to be cooked. When the duck is cooked, remove from the fat and allow to cool. Shred the meat from the leg and place in a mixing bowl. Add the finely diced black pudding and garlic, season with salt and pepper.
• Mould the duck mixture into small balls. Roll the balls in the flour, then the beaten egg and finally the bread crumbs. Once the balls have been coated, place in the fridge to chill.
• Place the duck fat back on to the heat until at 150C. Pat dry your scallops and season both sides. Heat a heavy-based frying pan, add some olive oil and the cook scallops on each side for 2 minutes. Avoid moving them around in the pan. Once cooked remove from the heat and rest. Gently warm your purée in a saucepan and drop the duck fritters carefully into the hot fat. When they are golden brown, remove and rest. Sauté the whole peas and black pudding lardons in butter, then take the infused milk from the fridge and blend with a hand blender, skimming off the foam that forms.
To serve
• Place the purée on the plate, assemble the other ingredients over it and top with pea foam. 39 Prime like to garnish with pea shoots, which add an extra crunch and freshness to this flavoursome dish.
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