I once read about a monkfish and grapefruit dish, which I never got the chance to research properly until recently.
With some tweaking, I substituted the fish for scallops. The dish itself however could still work as main course with monkfish (or other meaty white fish).
I found that scallops with grapefruit and avocado purée worked perfectly in the format of a starter, or small plate.
What you’ll need (serves 4):
Fresh scallops x 8
Spicy chorizo (finely cubed) x 50g
Grapefruit (peeled and finely diced) x 1
Large ripe avocado x 1
Large shallot (finely diced) x 2
Garlic clove (grated) x 1
Juice of half a lime
Cayenne Pepper x 1/2 tsp
Good quality extra virgin olive oil x 15ml
Fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Fresh coriander (finely chopped)
Pea shoots/watercress
Start with your purée. Blitz your avocado with 1/2 tsp of coriander, the lime juice, cayenne pepper, olive oil, 50ml of water and 1/2 tsp of salt. Pass through a fine sieve, and set aside.
Fry your shallots and garlic with your chorizo on a medium heat, drawing out the oil and spices from the meat, around 8-10 minutes or so. Add 1/2 tsp of your parsley and coriander, along with the grapefruit. Mix well, and remove from the heat.
Heat a knob of butter in a large frying pan, and fry each side of your scallops on a very high heat for 90 seconds on each side, and then leave to rest a couple of minutes.
Leave to rest for 2 minutes.
Serve on top of the grapefruit and chorizo, with the avocado purée alongside. Finish with cress or pea shoots, if you like.
Enjoy!x
Food and Tunes 