Ease of Preparation: Medium
Time of Preparation: 1 hour
Yield: 4-6 servings
This is a tartare like no other! Sweet, tender scallops, bound with sour cream and aromatic truffle oil, served with crisp, earthy beet chips. Toasty almonds and anise-flavored tarragon round out an all-star flavor profile.
Ingredients:
Beet Chips:
- 1 very large red beet, washed
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
Scallop Tartare:
- 12 ½ ounces (360 g) very large (U-8) scallops, chopped in small dice
- ½ cup (120 ml) halved green grapes
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of chives, finely chopped (plus more, to garnish)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white truffle oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- ¼ cup (60 ml) whole blanched almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) finely chopped tarragon leaves
Method:
For the Beet Chips:
Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, slice the beets quite thin, about 1/16-inch (1-2 mm).
Toss the beet slices with salt, then set aside to sweat at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until they release their natural juices.
Drain off the juice, use a paper towel to blot them very dry.
Toss the beets with olive oil, use hands to make sure the slices are well coated.
Lay the slices out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until crisp, but not brown. Note that they will feel soft at this point but will crisp up as they cool.
Transfer to a cooling rack and leave at room temperature, uncovered, until completely cool.
For the Scallop Tartare:
In a mixing bowl, combine scallops, grapes, chives, tarragon, and almonds. Season with salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and truffle oil until smooth.
Combine the scallop mixture with the sour cream mixture and fold until well combined.
To Serve:
Spoon the Scallop Tartare into a 3-inch (7.5 cm) ring mold, pressing down to hold its shape.
Stack the beet chips neatly beside the tartare, leaving space between the two.
Carefully remove the ring mold, garnish with chopped chives, and serve immediately.