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Seared Scallops with Fried Shiitakes and a Sweet Relish Served with Lemon Basil Oil

By Mariya • April 16, 2010 • 0 Comments

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Seared Scallops with Fried Shiitakes and a Sweet Relish Served with Lemon Basil Oil

Author Notes: For a certain special chef's recent graduation, I created this appetizer as part of our final assignment. Everyone was extremely pleased with the results! —Mariya

Serves 16

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups red onion, brunoise (very small dice, about 1/8 inch)
1/2 cup yellow peppers, brunoise
1 green chili, minced, seeds and all
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried currants
1 cup tomato concasse, pealed, seeded, and finely diced
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 bunch chives, sliced very thin
1 cup basil leaves
2 cups canola oil
3 lemons, zested
16 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps wiped with a slightly damp cloth
4 cups all purpose flour
4 beaten eggs
4 cups breadcrumbs
7 cups canola oil for frying
8 scallops, sliced in half, horizontally
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste

FOR THE RELISH: Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add red onions; sweat until translucent, about 15 minutes.
Add orange peppers, chili, raisins, and currants and saute until peppers are soft, about 4-6 minutes.
Add tomatoes and saute about 5-7 minutes, until all contents are soft through; season well with salt and pepper.
Add white wine and reduce until it's almost gone; taste and adjust seasoning; mix in the chives and reserve.
FOR THE LEMON BASIL OIL: In boiling water, blanch the basil and immediately submerge it in an ice bath (bowl with ice and water), to stop the cooking process; remove from water and dry well.
Heat 2 cups canola oil and add in lemon zest; cook until the oil is infused, about 6-8 minutes (dont let the lemon zest turn brown).
In a blender, blend the infused oil with the blanched basil; season well (you may need to add a bit of sugar, depending on your preference, as well as a few drops of lemon juice from one of the lemons).
FOR THE MUSHROOM CAPS: Bread shiitake caps by dipping in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs (shaking off any excess).
Heat 7 cups canola oil to 380 degrees and fry shiitake caps in batches (until just golden); remove from oil onto a towel lined tray and lightly salt right away; reserve.
FOR THE SCALLOPS: season the scallops and saute in olive oil until cooked through, about 1 minute per side.
ASSEMBLE: place one fried mushroom cap on a plate, top with scallop, top with relish, top with a bit of lemon-basil oil.
Optional: fry some basil leaves (in 350 degrees canola oil, for 15 seconds) and garnish on top of the dish.