Serves 2
- 6 large Mourne Fishbox Scallops, cleaned
- 10 asparagus spears
- 1tsp olive oil
- 4 strips of pancetta
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
- 15g (½oz) unsalted butter
- juice of ½ lemon
METHOD
Pat the scallops dry on some kitchen towel and set aside. Break off the woody end of the asparagus spears.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the asparagus spears and pancetta. Fry these until they get some colour and the pancetta starts to crisp up.
Once the pancetta is crisp, remove it and the asparagus from the pan and leave to drain on some kitchen towel.
Turn up the heat slightly. After a little time, add the scallops to the pan and allow to colour on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the scallops over and immediately add the anchovies and butter. Press down on the anchovies until they begin to melt. After two minutes add the lemon juice.
To serve, line up the asparagus spears on a plate, top with the scallops and pancetta, and drizzle over the pan juices. No salt should be needed as the anchovies and pancetta season the sweet scallops.
