Pan-Seared Scallop and Black Pudding with Minted Pea Puree

I came up with this idea when we scored some black pudding recently. Black pudding plays really well with scallops, which we now have a totally reliable source for in town. Mint is a nice, fresh, cool herb which really cut through the richness of the black pudding. Bacon is a good idea, just in general.

All in all, this is one of my more balanced dishes. No overpowering flavors, everything seemed to work in harmony. I am proud of this one!

SHALLOT AND BACON FOAM
1 shallot, diced
3 strips bacon, coarsley chopped
2 cups skim milk

PEA PUREE
200 g peas, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons butter
4 sprigs mint, leaves only
100 milliliters cooking liquid from the peas

SCALLOPS
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 large scallops
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

BLACK PUDDING
6 slices black pudding, about 1/2" thick

First, make the shallot and bacon foam. Get a saucepan hot over medium high heat. Put the bacon and shallot in there and cook down for 7-9 minutes. Pour the milk over the top and heat until the milk just starts to bubble. Turn the heat off, cover the pan, and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes.

Now, make the pea puree. Get a pot of water to the boil. Dump the peas in and cook for 3-4 minutes, until they are just cooked and are a vibrant green color. Strain, saving some of the liquid.

Put the peas in a blender with the butter, mint, salt and pepper and some of the cooking liquid. Blend thoroughly until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a clean pan. If it is too thin, bring to a low simmer and reduce it down to desired consistency. If too thick, add some cooking liquid or water. It is now ready to warm up just prior to serving.

To finish the foam, strain out the bacon and shallot and put the milk into a clean saucepan. Heat until it just starts to bubble. Pull off the heat and blend it with an immersion blender put just on the surface to get some froth going. You'll spoon this froth off to put on the scallops later.

Get a non-stick skillet hot over medium-high heat. When hot, put the black pudding slices in it and cook for about 3 minutes on the first side (until well-colored) then flip them over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

While you are cooking the black pudding, get a skillet (NOT non-stick) hot over medium-high heat. Season the scallops on both sides. Drizzle some oil in the skillet when hot, and add the scallops. Cook each scallop until well-colored on the bottom (about 45 seconds to a minute). Then flip them over (in the same order you put them in the pan), put the butter in the pan, and cook for an additional 30-45 seconds until done, all while basting the scallops with the melted butter. When done, pull them out and set them on some paper towel to drain a bit.

To finish, lay some pea puree down on a plate. Place three slices of black pudding, top them with the scallops. Put some bacon and shallot foam on the scallops and around the plate. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.