Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops with...Pan-Seared Dayboat Scallops with Sunchoke Purée and Truffle-Yuzu Vinaigrette

Perfectly caramelized U-10 dayboat scallops nestled on a silky, earth-sweet sunchoke purée, drizzled with a bright truffle-yuzu vinaigrette and garnished with crispy sunchoke chips.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   For the Sunchoke Purée: In a small saucepan, combine the peeled sunchokes, whole milk, heavy cream, and a pinch of fine sea salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until the sunchokes are completely fork-tender.

2. 02

   Transfer the sunchokes and half of the cooking liquid to a high-speed blender. Add 50g of cold unsalted butter and blend on high until completely smooth, adding more liquid if necessary to achieve a silky consistency. Pass through a fine chinois, adjust seasoning, and keep warm.

3. 03

   For the Sunchoke Chips: Slice one additional small sunchoke paper-thin using a mandoline. Heat 30ml of grapeseed oil in a small pan to 160°C (320°F). Fry the slices until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and season immediately with flaky sea salt.

4. 04

   For the Truffle-Yuzu Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the yuzu juice, honey, white truffle oil, and 15ml of grapeseed oil until emulsified. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside.

5. 05

   For the Scallops: Thoroughly pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with fine sea salt just before cooking. Heat a heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet over high heat with the remaining grapeseed oil until smoking.

6. 06

   Place the scallops in the skillet, leaving space between them. Sear undisturbed for 2 minutes to develop a deep, golden-brown crust. Flip the scallops, add the remaining 25g of butter to the pan, and baste the scallops with the foaming butter for 1 minute. Immediately transfer to a warm plate.

7. 07

   To Plate: Spoon a generous pool of warm sunchoke purée in the center of two heated plates. Arrange three scallops elegantly on top of the purée. Drizzle the truffle-yuzu vinaigrette around the plate. Garnish the scallops with the crispy sunchoke chips and delicate leaves of micro-sorrel.