Mark Hix’s Recipe For Baked Scallops With A Herb Crust

As a kid increasing up successful West Bay, Dorset, I utilized to beryllium connected nan harbour wall and watch nan mini trawlers coming successful pinch their catch. My friend Mark’s dad’s boat, on pinch each nan others, would beryllium stacked precocious pinch sacks of queenies that they’d dredged up only hours before, and Mark’s mum would battalion america disconnected to schoolhouse pinch a tub each of queen scallop nutrient doused successful Sarson’s vinegar and achromatic pepper, to eat later arsenic a playground snack. At nan time, I thought thing of it, but, looking backmost now, I realise rather what a luxurious schoolday dainty this was.

These days, however, our section scallop fishermen don’t food for queenies overmuch immoderate more, because nan clip it takes to shuck and cleanable them is much aliases little nan aforesaid arsenic that for larger king scallops, truthful they’re nary longer financially viable; also, alternatively of each those trawlers that Lyme Bay had successful nan past, it’s now mostly divers who food much sustainably for king scallops, without demolishing nan oversea furniture successful nan process. There are 2 main dive boats that food retired of Lyme Regis nowadays, operated by Jon Shuker and Ali Day, and they’ve beautiful overmuch cornered nan section market. They precocious started experimenting pinch alleged “disco scallops”, which are caught successful pots fitted pinch flashing lights that lure them in, which is overmuch much efficient, crew-wise, than diving, because a vessel pinch 1 diver is legally required to person a unit of four, comprising nan moving diver, a standby diver, a supervisor and a driver. Crazy, eh?

That’s why scallops travel pinch a beautiful hefty value tag. And while those pot-caught disco scallops are much economical for staffing costs, they’re little truthful catch-wise, because nan output is obscurity adjacent arsenic good. Let’s hold and spot really nan research goes, but successful rule I wholeheartedly support this benignant of caller commercialized sportfishing idea; nan disco scallop sportfishing method besides won nan invention grant astatine the BBC Food & Farming awards a fewer months ago, arsenic a sustainable and environmentally friends measurement to harvest scallops.

You whitethorn good person watched nan David Attenborough documentary Ocean, which featured immoderate shocking footage of nan harm that dredging does to nan seabed. My 13-year-old daughter, Isla, and I some ended up successful tears, and it near truthful powerful an belief connected maine that I deliberation nan bid should beryllium compulsory viewing successful schools. If this benignant of point were connected nan curriculum, our kids wouldn’t turn up reasoning that nutrient comes only from nan supermarket.

Scallops were ne'er disconnected nan paper astatine my erstwhile Lyme Regis edifice Hix Oyster & Fish House – aliases astatine slightest not unless nan upwind was truthful bad that nan divers were incapable to get retired to oversea – and I’ve served them successful conscionable astir each which measurement imaginable – pinch achromatic pudding aliases chorizo; cooked, chopped and added to a large operation of roast section shellfish; and earthy successful nan shape of ceviche and nan like. In nan West Country, we don’t get those immense scallops that Scottish divers catch, but nan flipside of that is ours costs astir a 5th of nan price. In a restaurant, you tin salary upwards of 25 quid for conscionable 1 fat Scottish scallop, while for nan aforesaid value you could astir apt get a sheet of 5 Lyme Bay ones.

This week’s look is possibly my favourite measurement to navigator scallops astatine home. It’s very easy, excessively – though if you wanted to titivate it a little, you could possibly crumble immoderate achromatic pudding into nan crust, aliases immoderate chopped and fried chorizo, aliases a small grated citrus zest, aliases sprinkle connected a scatter of achromatic vermouth aliases pastis (Tarquin’s make a awesome section 1 down successful Cornwall) astatine nan end.

Baked scallops pinch herb crust

Serves 4

12 scallops, cleaned and connected nan half-shell
Flaky oversea brackish and achromatic pepper
80g butter
2 mean shallots, peeled and finely chopped
4 ail cloves, peeled and grated
100g caller achromatic breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped soft herbs – parsley, chives, tarragon aliases chervil, aliases a mixture

Heat nan oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Put nan scallops connected a baking tray and season. Melt nan food successful a frying cookware connected a mean heat, past sweat nan chopped shallots and grated ail for a mates of minutes, until soft but not coloured. Take disconnected nan heat, operation successful nan achromatic breadcrumbs and chopped soft herbs, and season. Spoon nan herby breadcrumbs evenly complete nan apical of nan scallops, popular nan tray successful nan oven and cook for six to 8 minutes, until golden. Serve immediately, ideally pinch a solid of thing crisp and white.

• Mark Hix is simply a restaurateur and writer based successful Dorset. His latest limited-edition book, Fishy Tales, pinch illustrations by Nettie Wakefield, is published astatine £90. Rachel Roddy is away.