Categories: Recipes

Recipe: Scallops with Chorizo and Pea Purée

Seared scallops with chorizo and pea purée recipe as featured in the Respect Charity Cookbook.

I started my blog over a decade ago. Back then it was a music photography website where I shared photographs I had taken at concerts and from backstage parties. You could say I was a bit of a groupie, but I like to think of myself as an over enthusiastic fan. Click here to read all about my days as a music photographer.

Nowadays my blog is a food and travel blog where I share stories about the places I have been and these stories are often accompanied by an original recipe based on something I ate whilst visiting that destination.

My recipes have been greatly received (well, I think they have been) and as a result of this blog, I was asked to contribute a recipe to a charity cookbook. Can you believe it? Cause I couldn’t.

I submitted a recipe and waited for the Editor to get back to me saying there had been some sort of mistake and they meant a different Melanie May. But the email never came. In fact, the only thing that came was a copy of the cookbook in the post.

Everyday Celebrity Favourites. A collection of recipes for every occasion.

My recipe appeared along side recipes from Enda Kenny, Leo Varadkar, Kathryn Thomas, Lorraine Keane, Francis Brennan and Liam Neeson. Liam bloody Neeson!

Seeing my recipe and photo in a published cookbook sent my confidence soaring. I had the biggest smile on my face. It felt like all the hard work and effort I put into my blog was finally paying off.

So, I am delighted to share with you my seared scallops with chorizo and pea purée recipe which was published in an actual cookbook. Pinch me!

Scallops with Chorizo and Pea Purée Recipe Ingredients

12 scallops (about three per person)

80 grams of cooked chorizo

200 grams of garden peas or petit pots (fresh or frozen)

100 millilitres of milk

50 grams of butter

Splash of cream (optional)

1 lemon

Watercress to garnish

Salt and pepper

Prep

Place some kitchen paper on a plate or tray.

Sprinkle both sides of the scallops with salt and place on the kitchen paper. This will absorb any excess moisture.

Remove the skin from the chorizo and dice into small pieces.

To make the pea purée

Place the peas, butter and milk in a saucepan over a low heat. Allow to simmer until the peas are cooked through (this should take a little less than ten minutes).

When the peas are cooked, drain off the liquid and reserve a handful of peas for decoration. Then puree the peas. Add a little liquid back in if you need it. Add a splash of cream to make the peas extra rich and silky. Keep the pea puree warm until ready to serve (just a few minutes).

To cook the chorizo

Place a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat and when the pan is very hot add the oil.

Fry the chorizo until it is golden and crisp.

Remove the chorizo from the pan and keep warm until ready to serve (just a few minutes). You can leave the red chorizo oil in the pan.

To cook the scallops

Season one side of the scallops with the pepper.

Using the same frying pan as you used for the chorizo, think of the pan as a clock face and add the scallops, one by one, seasoned side down, in a clockwise order. Fry for two minutes until golden brown.

Season the other side of the scallops, then flip them over in the same order you placed them in the pan and repeat the process.

To plate, add a base of the pea puree and top with the scallops. Scattered the crispy chorizo on top and add a few of the whole peas and watercress to garnish. Drizzle some of the red chorizo oil from the pan over the plate and squeeze over some lemon juice. Et voilà, my seared scallops with chorizo and pea purée recipe.

If you want to buy the cookbook you can do so on the Respect website.

So, what do you think of my seared scallops with chorizo and pea purée recipe?

Did you like it? Did you try it out? What improvements would you make? Share a photo of your own attempt at this recipe or leave any feedback and comments below, I’d love to hear from you.