Scallops, with Black Pudding and Girolles

I quite often get inspiration from cookery programmes on the TV and I like the challenge of recreating dishes I have seen at a later date, when I don't have the recipe. Earlier this month whilst watching Celebrity Master Chef, the celebrities were sent to a top London restaurant (apolgies I can't remember which one) and one of the celebrities was given this dish to cook (minus the brocolli) as a starter. I thought it looked delicious. Lately, we have been eating pretty bog standard food during the week and due to our busy and differing schedules it's quite often fend for yourself. So, on a Friday we will try to go to the pub to catch up and eat out and when we don't I recreate a pub meal at home. On Saturday's if it's not been too hectic, then I will do a restaurant tea. I thought this would make and ideal candidate for such a Saturday.

The Potatoes

I used a bag (450g) of Jersey Royals as they were on special offer, firm and fresh and earthy and I left the skins on. I cut them into quarters and par boiled them - the time for this will depend on the potato, but you want them almost cooked. Then I finished the cooking in the deep fat fryer at about 150 degrees until they were soft and beginning to colour (as pictured).

Next I turned the heat up to around 180 degrees and just before serving, crisped them up, until they had a richer colour and were piping hot. I rested the basket on some kitchen roll to remove any excess oil and seasoned with sea salt (optional).

You can use any potato suitable for chips so the potatoes are light and fluffy like a Maris Piper or something new and firm like a Charlotte to give a bit more texture.

Scallops and Black Pudding

I took 150g black pudding, cut it into small, rough cut dice and fried in oil until some of it remained soft and creamy, but some was crisp and crumbled.
The scallops, I allowed 3 each (again they were on special offer at about 50p each). I laid them out on some kitchen roll and seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides, then fried in the black pudding oil with a little knob of butter added for colour and that nutty taste. I like to cook my scallops until they are just cooked through, I don't like any hint of undercooked but I don't like them too firm or overcooked. You should give them a good few minutes on either side and get some colour on them, they shouldn't start to crack open or split though.

The Girolles

We've never had girolles before, I used a 100g punnet, kept them whole, cleaned them with some just damp kitchen roll, then pan fried them in butter and seasoned them for a few minutes until they softened and looked cooked. Finally I added a squeeze of lemon juice.


Although it wasn't part of the recipe on the TV, a lightly cooked some little stems of broccoli to add some colour and extra vitamins to our meal, which we served with fresh, crusty bread. It was an interesting meal that would probably work better as a starter. Sweet, soft, caramelised scallops, with earthy potatoes and black pudding, with slighlty bitter and lemony mushrooms and iron rich broccoli, all quite soft textures with a bit of chew in the mushrooms and crisp from the potatoes. Made more robust for an evening meal by a good amount of potato and the bread. As a main meal it could have benefited from a sauce, maybe a butter sauce or hollandaise. There were clean plates all round though, so I will take that as a seal of approval!