Scallop Prosciutto Sandwich, Butternut Squash & Watercress Purée

One of the classic preparations for scallops is wrapping them in bacon or some derivation, e.g. prosciutto, as in Mark Dodson’s (former head chef of Michel Roux’s Waterside Inn in Bray, where he secured their third Michelin star) “Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto Ham with Butternut Squash and Watercress Purée”

Skimming through Thomas Keller’s cookbook “Under Pressure” for inspiration, I and came across his “Spanish Mackerel and Serrano Ham” which utilized transglutaminase, aka “meat glue”. (See Roasted Cauliflower & Meat Glue Experiment and Meat Glue Redux)

It occurred to me that rather than wrapping a scallop in ham, why not create a “sandwich” in the same way that Thomas Keller did with his Spanish Mackerel. For this, I simply cut a large scallop in half, placed a disc of prosciutto between the two halves, and bonded them together with transglutiminase. To speed the setting of the bond, I pre-cooked the scallops sous vide and finished in the pan to sear them.

As an added bonus, this dish gave me an opportunity to play with some new plating techniques, which you will have seen from previous photos of my cooking, is in much need of work!

"Scallop Proscuitto Sandwich" after pre-cooking/bonding at 51°C x 30 minutes. Next step, pan sear.

Final plating!