Donegal scallops with Clonakilty black pudding, apple puree

Norbert Neylon

A WORD FROM THE CHEF

This is a simple dish to prepare. Choose the best quality scallops you can find and a fresh as possible. The quality of the ingredients is what makes this dish special.

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 4)

12 Scallops

Six slices of Clonakilty black pudding

Six Granny Smith apples

150g caster sugar

METHOD

Prepare the scallops by removing the roe (this is the pink part), place in the fridge on a dry, clean j-cloth.

Cut the pudding into slices approximately 2.5cm thick then cut in half.

For the apple puree, peel and cut four of the apple's into small pieces.

Place the sugar in a large based saucepan on a low heat and bring it to a dark caramel colour then add the chopped apples and cook until soft.

Allow to cool a little and blend in a blender to a smooth paste.

With the remaining two apples, peel and dice them into small pieces.

Place the diced apples in a bowl and add all little of the apple puree slowly to form a chutney type consistency.

To Serve

Heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Pan fry the pudding slices and warm in the oven.

Using a thick heavy-based frying pan, allow it to get good and hot.

Remove the scallops from the fridge season with salt and pepper.

Add a little olive oil to the pan and quickly seal on both sides until golden brown.

The place in the oven for one to two minutes at most depending on the size of your scallops. Don't overcook them or they will be chewy.

It's best to cook in small batches of four or five scallops at a time.

Serve with the apple puree and apple chutney.

ABOUT THE CHEF

Norbert Neylon is the chef proprietor of The Oak Room Restaurant in Cavan since 2001.

The Oak Room moved to a new purpose-built building in May of 2017 on Bridge Street in Cavan Town.