Crumbed scallops and blue potatoes.

First I went with silky mash, but these were equally good in a bun with coleslaw and tartare sauce. With some homemade blue crisps. Ohh. The smell of these crisps was out of this world, too tempting. I kept hovering over the bowl just to feel it again and again.

Last years blue mash photos.


Crumbed scallops

3 to 4 diver scallops per person, cut in half horizontally
1 organic orange
fresh ginger
sea salt
white pepper
crusty old bread
1 egg
flour

In a food processor, whizz the bread together with orange zest, grated ginger, sea salt and white pepper until tasty bread crumbs form.
Take three plates. Sift flour onto the first plate, drop the egg on the second, whisking it with a bit of orange juice to loosen, and pour the bread crumbs on the last one.
Take the scallops, dredge in flour, dip in the egg mixture and then coat all over with bread crumbs. Fry in batches until golden on both sides.


Silky mash

750g blue potatoes, skin on
about 120g butter
about 100ml single cream
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about half an hour. Drain and let steam on the stove for a minute or two. Peel while still hot, put some gloves on if necessary. Mash the potatoes, gradually add the cream and continue mashing. For a super smooth result, push the mash through a sieve. Mix in the butter, make sure it melts in gradually, not leaving any lumps. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Tartare sauce

200ml homemade mayonnaise
3 tbsp capers
4 to 6 cornichons
small red onion
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
lemon juice
salt

Chop all ingredients finely and mix into the mayonnaise. Taste and season accordingly.


Blue crisps

blue potatoes
groundnut oil
cold water
salt

Choose uniform potatoes, even sized crisps cook evenly.
Peel the potatoes and slice them very finely, less than a millimetre thick. Rinse under cold water and let stand in a bowl of cold salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Fry in batches in 160C degree oil until crisp. Too hot oil will result in too brown crisps or slightly burned taste.
Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt and other seasonings while still hot.

I have been painting and sketching. Weather has been sunny and I was able to finish a longtime painting project.
Baked poppy seed buns and blackberry friands.
Still working on the poppy seed bun recipe, not quite satisfied with the filling.
Here I used organic pistachio paste in the filling but it didn't live up to my expectations.

I've been wanting to try a crab burger ever since watching the SpongeBob cartoon. Seeing him flip those juicy krabby patties in the Krusty Krab kitchen worked wonders on my imagination.

I don't know the secret sauce recipe so I just made my own. A simple mayonnaise-based sauce with lemon juice, paprika, tomato paste, mustard, Tabasco and kefir. Could throw a few capers in there as well.

Although I've used Asian-style seasoning here, the patty can be flavoured differently, say with horseradish and mayonnaise.



Crab burger

170g white crab meat
3 tbsp coconut cream
2cm fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
fresh chilli, to taste
1 small egg
lime zest
3 slices of toast, crusts removed
panko or grated coconut

Pick through the crab meat, removing any bits of cartilage. Mix together the crab meat, coconut cream, grated ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce, whisked egg, chilli, lime zest and crumbed toast slices.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Let rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Mould into patties, two large or four small ones. Roll them in panko (or grated coconut) and fry on a griddle or in a frying pan until golden on both sides. If you make very thick patties, then you might want to pop them in the oven after frying, for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Tuck a patty between a bun lined with fresh salad, adding some slaw and sauce on top.
Serve straight away.