Scallops with red pepper dressing

50 minutes ■ Serves 4 ■ EASY
Fat sweet scallops are quite expensive Buy them in the shell or freshly shelled, rather than frozen, for the best flavour. A watery scallop tends to boil rather than caramelise nicely in the pan. The amount of red pepper sauce this recipe makes will probably be too much, but leftovers are excellent tossed with some pasta and a few chopped anchovies.

cumin seeds 1 tsp, freshly ground fine
sea salt flakes 1 tsp
red peppers 3
banana shallots 2, peeled (or use 3 ordinary shallots)
garlic 2 cloves, peeled
olive oil
red wine vinegar 1-2 tbsp
king scallops 12
butter 15g
lemon 1/2, to squeeze
chives finely chopped, to garnish

■ Heat the oven to 220C/fan200C/gas7. Mix the cumin with the salt. Set aside. Put the peppers, shallots and garlic into a small roasting dish, just big enough to hold them all. Toss everything in a little olive oil and season. Cover with foil and roast for 30 minutes until soft. Keep covered and allow to cool a little.
■ When cool enough to handle, peel and seed the peppers, then throw all the vegetables and any juices from the roasting pan into a blender. Blitz to a puree. With the motor running, add another 100ml of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Taste and season as necessary. Push the mixture through a sieve for a smoother puree and keep warm. Thin out with a little water until you have a double cream consistency.
■ Heat a non-stick frying pan to a high heat. Season the scallops on one side with cumin salt. Add a small amount of oil to the pan and add the scallops, seasoned side down. Cook for 2-3 minutes until caramelised. Turn over and cook on the other side for a further minute or 2, until they start to go golden. Add the butter, allow to brown lightly and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Baste the scallops quickly with the pan juices, then remove from the pan.
■ To serve, arrange the scallops on the red pepper dressing. Spoon the buttery cumin pan juices around the scallops, then sprinkle with chives and serve.

Scallops with red pepper dressing