Seared Scallops Cured Pork Belly With Pomegranate Molasses And Chili Garlic Drizzle Recipes

Steps:

• Pat sea scallops dry with paper towels. Season with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper on one side.
• Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over high heat. Place scallops in the skillet seasoned-side down. Cook until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Season with remaining lemon juice, salt, and pepper; flip. Continue cooking until opaque, about 2 minutes more. Garnish with lemon zest.

Steps:

• Place a layer of paper towels on top of a large plate or baking sheet and gently lay the sea scallops on top to rid them of any excess moisture. With the scallops still on the paper towel, grab a large pinch of kosher salt and sprinkle it from a foot or more over the scallops. The height will help distribute the salt evenly.
• Use a pepper grinder to crack fresh black pepper in the same manner, getting every scallop.
• Flip the scallops and season the other side. This is important!
• Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed stainless-steel saute pan over high heat. Do not use nonstick-you'll never achieve the proper caramelization!
• Wait.
• Wait.
• Watch as the pan begins to smoke.
• Now, carefully, because the pan and oil are very hot, use tongs or your fingers to place each scallop individually in the pan, leaving room between them. Once the scallops are in the pan, do not move them or the pan or turn the heat down. You're going to want to, because the pan will be hot and splattering and smoking, but resist! You're getting your hard sear. Don't interfere or the scallops will stick.
• After 2 minutes, use a spatula or tongs to gently turn one of the scallops and assess how dark the sear is. If it's dark brown and caramelized, it's ready to be flipped and seared on the other side for at least 2 minutes more to achieve an identical sear.
• When the scallops have been flipped and seared on both sides, they're fully cooked and ready to eat. Remove them from the pan using tongs or a spatula. Add the butter to the pan and a squeeze of lemon juice and scrape up the bit on the pan to create a sauce. Serve the scallops hot and topped with the pan sauce and another squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top.

Steps:

• Dry the scallops very well with a paper towel. Cut the pork belly into uniform cubes about the size of the scallops.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper and then add to the skillet. Add the butter to the skillet. When the bottom is golden brown, flip the scallop and cook for 1 minute.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Alternatively, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F.
• Deep-fry the pork belly until crispy, but not too hard. Drain the pork belly on a paper-towel-lined plate.
• In a bowl, toss the arugula, sliced strawberries and pistachios with some of the Vanilla Bean Vinaigrette. Mound the salad on the plate, then arrange the scallops and pork belly around the salad. Top with some Beurre Blanc and drizzle with the Pomegranate Agrodolce to serve.
• Place the vinegar, honey, mustard and vanilla seeds in the food processor, and pulse until mixed. Slowly drizzle in the oil with machine running until emulsified.
• In a saucepan set over medium-low heat, bring the vermouth and vinegar to a low simmer. Add the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Simmer to cook until the liquid reduces by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 4 tablespoons of the butter until fully incorporated. Return the pan to low heat and whisk in the remaining butter, one piece at a time. Add the lemon juice, then remove from the heat, cover and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Combine the pomegranate juice, sugar and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer until thick and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Squeeze juice from pomegranate halves using a citrus reamer or juicer to measure 1 cup.
• Combine juice, vinegar, soy sauce, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and red pepper in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat; simmer until reduced by half (about 15 minutes), stirring frequently. Keep warm.
• Rinse scallops; pat dry.
• Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle scallops with salt, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
• Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.
• Arrange 1/2 cup watercress on each of 6 plates; divide scallops evenly among plates.
• Drizzle each serving with about 1 tablespoon sauce; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons seeds.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Heat the oil in a wide, shallow ovenproof dish (or use a roasting tin that can go on the hob). Mix the pomegranate juice, cinnamon, allspice, lemon juice, honey and red wine vinegar together in a large bowl. Brown the pork for 2-3 mins each side, then add all the other ingredients, season and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid, or wrap the dish in foil, then transfer to the oven for 1 hr.
• Uncover the dish, remove the pork and set aside. Skim off the fat and place the dish on the hob. Reduce the sauce to a sticky glaze before returning the pork to the dish and basting. Increase the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and return the dish to the oven. Continue cooking for another 45-50 mins until the pork is really tender. Scatter with the pomegranate seeds and serve with green veg or a fresh grain salad, if you like.