Gary Rhodes

Presented in 1996

Sautéed scallops with crispy eggplant and spicy tomato relish

Serves 4

This dish shows another taste alternative with basic ingredients. The sweetness of the scallops mixed with an almost bitter/burnt flavour from the frying works really well with the tomato and olive notes. For a quick basic vinaigrette, just mix a few drops of balsamic vinegar with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

1 eggplant (aubergine)

2–3 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

1 cup spicy tomato relish

6–8 black olives, pitted and finely diced

basic vinaigrette or extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon olive oil

25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter

12 large scallops, cleaned and trimmed

mixed green salad leaves, such as rocket (arugula), curly endive and baby spinach

Spicy tomato relish

85 ml (2¾ fl oz) olive oil

3 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

a few sprigs basil, thyme and tarragon

900 g (2 lb) tomatoes, peeled and deseeded

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar

salt

2–3 drops of Tabasco sauce

Halve the eggplant lengthways and very thinly slice crossways. Mix the plain flour with the cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the flour over the eggplant and lightly dust off the excess. These can now be fried in hot oil until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt. The eggplant can be fried before cooking the scallops and will stay crispy and warm while you finish preparing the dish.

Warm the tomato relish.

Mix the black olives with a little vinaigrette or extra virgin olive oil.

Heat a frying pan until very hot but not smoking. Add a few drops of the olive oil and a little butter. Sit the scallops in the pan, in batches if necessary to keep the pan hot; if the pan is not hot enough, the scallops will simply begin to stew in their own juices, which will spoil their taste and texture. Once the scallops are golden brown on both sides, turn them out, season with salt and pepper (and repeat if you are cooking in batches). Each batch should only take 1–2 minutes.

Season the salad leaves and toss with a little extra virgin olive oil. Spoon the warm tomato relish into the centre of each plate, making a circular platform for the scallops. Spoon the black olive dressing around. Sit the scallops onto the relish and place the salad leaves in the centre. To finish the dish, simply arrange the fried eggplant on top.

Spicy tomato relish

Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat and add the chopped shallots or onion, the garlic and herbs. It’s best to leave the herbs as sprigs as these can then be easily removed at the end of cooking. Allow the shallots and herbs to cook gently for 4–5 minutes or until tender.

Cut the tomato flesh into 5 mm (¼ inch) dice and add to the pan. Have the pan on a very low heat, just lightly simmering, and cook for 35–45 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated — this will really depend on the water content of the tomatoes.

Add the wine vinegar and sugar and cook for a further 15 minutes. The tomatoes should have taken on an almost lumpy sauce texture; if the sauce is very thick, simply fold in a little more olive oil. Allow to cool until just warm, then season with salt and Tabasco. Makes about 2 cups. This sauce goes so well with seafood of all types. It’s almost like eating a chunky, spicy tomato chutney. Once made, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.