Baked Queen Scallops, Cauliflower, Brioche And Herb Crust

This new recipe is from Mark Holland, the new Head Chef at Woolloomooloo’s iconic gastro-pub, The Tilbury Hotel. Try it and tell us if you liked it in the comments !

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Scallops and shells

Speak to any good fishmonger and ask for the smallest queen scallops, or very small king scallops with shells.

Cauliflower Puree

1 small head of cauliflower, broken into florets

1 litre of milk

1 bay leaf

200ml double cream

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. In a heavy based pan, submerge cauliflower in milk. Top up with water if you need
2. Bring to the boil, simmer until the cauliflower is tender and cooked through
3. Strain cauliflower, discard milk. Add cooked cauliflower back into the pan and add cream. Bring back to the boil
4. Blend until smooth and glossy
5. Remove, puree and add fine sea salt, lemon juice and lemon zest to taste

Brioche And Herb Crumb 

1 store bought 400g brioche loaf

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

2 lemons zested

olive oil

50g grated parmesan

Method

1. Remove crust from brioche, blitz in blender until there are fine bread crumbs, transfer to tray with parchment paper and allow to dry out overnight
2. Finely chop parsley and add all dry ingredients into the blender
3. Combine ingredients with two pulses, then drizzle olive oil till mix combines (not wet though)
4. Remove and keep in air tight container until use

Garlic Butter

250 g softened butter

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)

1 lemon zested

Method

1. Beat the butter by hand in a bowl
2. Add parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Combine completely
3. Roll out a piece of glad wrap and place the soft butter on top, roll into a sausage shape and chill in the fridge over night.

To assemble 

1. Place a tea spoon of cauliflower puree onto the base of the shell, place two queen scallops (or 1 small king scallops) on top of the puree
2. Top with a thin slither of garlic butter and a pinch of pink salt, then add a table spoon of brioche crumb
3. Bake at 180 degrees for 4 minutes if they are queen scallops (or 5 minutes for king scallops)
4. Serve with a lemon wedge and fresh watercress, shallots, capers and shaved radish salad