Seafood chowder with grilled scallops
James uses some of the best seafood Northern Island has to offer in his chowder dish. Made specially to celebrate the history of Greyabbey it is served with grilled scallops in seaweed butter.
Ingredients
For the chowder
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú butter
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 250g/9oz potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp flour
- 250ml/9fl oz fish stock
- 250ml/9fl oz full-fat milk
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 6 scallops, chopped
- 1kg/2lb 4oz rope grown mussels, cooked
- 12 prawns (preferably from Portavogie), cooked and peeled
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped fennel fronds or dill
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch sea salt and white pepper
For the charcoal grilled scallops
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú pancetta
- 4 scallops, shucked, shells kept for cooking
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú seaweed butter, chopped
- splash prosecco (optional)
- pinch sea salt and cracked black pepper
- pea shoots and toasted breadcrumbs, to garnish
Method
For the chowder, heat the butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the leeks and potatoes for 5–10 minutes on a medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour in the fish stock and reduce the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are softened.
Add the milk and cream to the chowder and blend until smooth using a stick blender.
Stir in the chopped scallop, cooked mussels and prawns. Poach on a low heat for 5 minutes then season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the fennel fronds or dill to finish.
For the scallops, fry the pancetta until golden. Season the scallops and lay each one on top of a few cubes of fried pancetta and seaweed butter placed in the bottom of each shell. To cook the scallops either light a barbecue and cook over the hot embers or cook under a hot grill. Cook on their shells for 2–3 minutes until the butter turns golden and the scallops start to brown. Turn them over and drizzle with a splash of prosecco to deglaze in the shell. Garnish with pea shoots and breadcrumbs.
To serve, pour the chowder into bowls and serve the scallops alongside.
