Scallops with Sauce Vierge

Sauce vierge is the Mediterranean version of a tomato salsa. This no-cook and no frills sauce is fabulous with shellfish. Also great with clams, grilled tuna and pasta. Use fresh herbs, good extra virgin olive oil and sun-ripened tomatoes. This recipe is adapted from BBC’s Good Food magazine. Scallops are a good source of B12, Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and potassium.

Serves 4
12 large scallops
olive oil for drizzling

Sauce:
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
500g ripe tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
small handfuls of basil, coriander and parsley (finely chopped)

For the sauce, warm the oil, garlic and coriander seeds very gently in a pan, then set aside. Make a small cross in the bottom of each tomato and add to a bowl. Pour boiling hot water over the tomatoes and leave for about 10 seconds. Drain and cool under cold water. Peel and halve the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds. Roughly chop the flesh. Add tomatoes to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the vinegar, flavored oil and herbs. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

For the scallops, heat a pan until very hot, toss scallops with a drizzle of olive oil and sear for about 1 minute one each side until nicely caramelised. Spoon the sauce vierge onto plates and top each with 3 scallops.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: A simple dish to prepare packed with flavor and vitamins! You can also use ground coriander in lieu of coriander seeds. Use any leftover sauce vierge as a topping for bruschetta or mix in with hot pasta and add freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Beautiful!