Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Tiger’s Milk and Grapefruit
Serves 4
Meyer Lemon Tiger’s Milk
4 medium-size Meyer lemons
1 medium Oro Blanco or other grapefruit
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
Half of a seeded jalapeño pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 ice cubes, or 1/4 cup/60 ml fish stock
Artisanal sea salt
Seared Scallops
6 large day boat sea scallops
1 tablespoon clarified butter or ghee
1 tablespoon whole unsalted butter
1 pickled Thai chile
2 fermented sunchokes, thinly sliced
Artisanal sea salt
12 cilantro leaves
To make the tiger’s milk, after trimming off the top and bottom 1/2 inch of the lemons, stand the cut bottoms on a cutting board and slice lengthwise between the flesh and the peel, following the lemon’s contour and making sure to remove all the white pith.
Over a small bowl, slice between 1 segment and the membrane until you reach the center of the lemon. Reserve the segments and juice for the tiger’s milk and the juice. Peel and reserve the grapefruit segments and juice in the same way as for the Meyer lemon and cut the segments in half, horizontally. In a blender, mix the Meyer lemon segments, grapefruit and lemon juice, garlic, onion, jalapeño, ginger, and stock. Blend until smooth and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Season with salt and refrigerate until ready to use.
Dry the scallops with a paper towel and season with salt. Heat a 10-inch/25-cm sauté pan over medium-high heat and when the pan is hot, add the clarified butter, swirl the pan, and spread scallops evenly in the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and let scallops cook undisturbed for 5 minutes on just one side. Turn the heat to low and add the whole butter, spooning it over the scallops as it melts and browns for two more minutes. Let rest in a warm spot for a few minutes.
To assemble the dish, place the leche de tigre in a medium-size bowl, then one and a half scallops, grapefruit segments, 3 to 4 fermented sunchoke slices, and some cilantro leaves.
— Stone Edge Farm Kitchen Larder Cookbook