Scallops with Herb and Garlic Butter

It is easy to forget that the best things are the simplest. This dish relies on the freshest scallops in their shells which are then grilled with a fresh herbs, garlic, a little lime zest and butter. What could be easier.

Live scallops are easy to open by just running a sharp knife between the shell against its base removing the scallop from it, the scallop should then open. Remove the top half of the ,meat carefully from the shell. Trim everything from the scallop except for the orange roe (my husband dislikes the roe so always remove it. If you have a good fishmonger you can ask him to do this for you, but they are best eaten soon after opening.

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4-6 Portions
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Prep: 10-15 minutes
Cook: 2-3 minutes

Ingredients

Scallops

  • 24 live scallops (in their shells)

Herb and Garlic Butter

  • 1 tbsp shredded basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
  • 1 tbsp shredded mint
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Scallops: Remove the scallops from their shells as described above. Discard the flat bottom half of each shell and wash and dry the top half of each shell. Place the scallops on the top half or each shell and place on a grill tray (if preparing in advance place on a tray for refrigeration).
  2. Herb and Garlic Butter: Scatter the herbs and zest over the scallops in their shells. Distribute the juice evenly over the scallops. Place generous pinches of butter over each scallop and season with salt and pepper. Cover with cling film and refrigerate if preparing in advance.
  3. To Cook: Preheat a grill to high. Place the scallops under the grill for 2-3 minutes so that the butter has melted and the scallops are just cooked. Any longer and they will shrink and become rubbery. Serve at once.