Seared thyme scallops & minted peas with broad beans

I was not a big seafood lover before I came to England. Today I know this was due to the lack of fresh seafood in Poland, but since I can go to a fishmonger every Friday on the local market where I have a wide selection of fresh seafood I started to like this type of food.

If you live with person who is a sceptical about seafood or you are this sort of person yourself, you should definitely try scallops first. They are very pleasant to cook, all you have to remember is not to overcook them because they will become rubbery. Otherwise they are easy to prepare, tasty, they have a meaty flesh and do not scare some people with “worm like” appearance.

Today my favourite summer scallops recipe from Gordon Ramsay's "Healthy Appetite".



Serves 1

6 king scallops, shelled and cleaned
handful of podded peas (preferably fresh one)
handful of podded broad beans
few thyme sprigs, leaves only
handful of mint, leaves roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil + extra to drizzle
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of water
few pinches of coarse sea salt (I used flaked one)


Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, tip in the broad beans, and blanch for 5 minutes or until tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and plunge into
a bowl of iced water to refresh. Drain well and tip into a bowl. Do the same thing with peas but it requires less cooking, so cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and add to iced water with beans.

Gently squeeze the broad beans to pop them out of their skins. Add to the peas and set aside.

Put the thyme leaves on a board and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt. Chop and sprinkle the thyme salt over one side of the scallops. Save some thyme salt for later. Heat a skillet and add the olive oil.

Pan-fry the scallops for 1½ minute on one side and 1 minute on other - they should feel slightly springy when pressed. Remove to a warm plate and rest for a minute while you reheat the vegetables.

Tip the peas and broad beans into the skillet and add a 2 tbsp water and a butter. Heat for a minute to warm through, season to taste, and toss through the mint leaves.

Spoon the vegetables onto warm plate and top with the scallops. Sprinkle with a little more thyme salt and drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.