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2009/06/28
Last time I served raw scallops, everyone sat around in the kitchen waiting for each preparation, gobbling it up as soon as it was ready. That was delicious, but it didn't make for great presentation and photo opportunities.
This time, I took it a bit more slowly, since it was just for Jeanette and I, and plated it up. I took raw Hokkaido scallops and pounded them out between two sheets of plastic wrap, until they were uniformly thin and translucent. Then, with a very sharp knife, I trimmed the scallop sheets into rectangles (while still between pastic wrap). Then I peeled the plastic wrap off the top of each sheet, and picked a sheet up, holding it by the plastic underneath. Then I laid it onto a clear plate, with the side that still had plastic wrap facing up. I peeled off the last layer of plastic wrap, pushed it around a bit to get it more square again, and then proceeded with the garnishes.
I garnished two ways. For the first one, I used chives, extra virgin olive oil, French breakfast radish, Maldon salt, and nigella seeds (for crunch). For the second, I used smoked andouille oil (rendered while browning andouille sausage), lemon zest, hyssop, Fresno chili, and Hawaiian black salt. Both were extremely delicious.
Posted by Barzelay on 2009/06/28 @ 21:54 | Comments (3) | Seafood, Veggies, Fruit, Grain, Cheese
Comments
So I'm a big texture person - I will absolutely hate something in one form that I love in another because of texture. So here is my question - what does the pounding out of the oyster do to change the taste?
Posted by: Cara at July 1, 2009 11:17 PM
I assume that "oyster" means "scallop." You asked what pounding it out does to the taste. Nothing--it's just a very sweet, slightly briny, clean scallop flavor. I assume you meant to ask what it does to the texture.
Pounding it out does change the texture. Scallops, when whole, have fibers running up and down. Depending on how they are cut after being cooked, they can be a bit chewy because of the length of the fibers, even if cooked properly. If you pound it out, those fibers are now horizontal, instead of vertical. So, then when you cut through the carpaccio with a sharp knife, you're cutting through the fibers, leading to shorter strands and a very tender carpaccio. The texture ends up being much more tender and the flesh falls apart much more than normal scallops. But you haven't really broken down the muscle fibers, so there is still a bite to it. It's really a pretty nice texture. I don't know what else to say about it. Try it. You can get live or sashimi-grade scallops in Oregon (or L.A., whenever you're there).
Posted by: Barzelay at July 2, 2009 12:14 AM
Yes, I meant scallop, but my point with using the term taste is that texture, for me impacts taste. Sort of how smell is connected to taste, the actual texture of something on my tongue can impact the taste. So clearly pounding will change texture, but does the texture change impact the taste? Sounds like the answer would be yes based on your description.
Also, I'm in LA already. California DL and plates on the car and all...
Posted by: Cara at July 3, 2009 11:49 PM