Don’t be put off by the name — blood sausage is supremely delicious, rich in flavour and colour. It provides a stark contrast to the delicate texture of the scallops and is balanced by the lively citrus notes and the crunch of the almonds. Some of the best blood sausage comes from black Iberian pigs, found on the Iberian Peninsula, which spans Spain and Portugal. You can find this specialty product at your local butcher — I picked mine up at Muckleston & Brockwell on Beechwood Avenue in Ottawa.
Ingredients
- 4 scallops, approximately 2 ounces each
- 1 leek (white section only), washed and dried
- 1/4 cup whole raw almonds
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 2 ounces dried blood sausage, Iberico or Spanish type
- 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Using a sharp knife, slice the leeks into rings and spread them out on a baking sheet or a dry frying pan. Bake the leeks until they become very dark brown — this will take approximately 30 minutes. When the leeks have completely dried out and have a very dark brown colour, pulverize them into a powder using a spice grinder, or a mortar and pestle, and set to the side.
To prepare the scallops, use a small knife (or your fingers) and remove the small tough muscle attached to the side of the scallop (this is called the abductor muscle and is unpleasant to eat raw). Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
Slice the scallops into two even pieces creating two round halves and season with salt and pepper and the orange zest, and set them aside for 15 minutes to marinate. When the scallops are marinating, lightly toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan on the stove for about 3 minutes until they become fragrant, allowing the seeds to cool slightly before grinding with a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle the top of each scallop with a pinch of the fennel powder.
Thinly slice the blood sausage on the bias creating long pieces. Arrange the sausage slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place another sheet of parchment on top of the sausage and another baking sheet on top of that parchment, sandwiching the sausage in between the sheets. Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the sausage becomes crisp.
Heat the canola oil in a small pot to 350F, using a candy thermometer to check the oil temperature. Fry the almonds for about 60 seconds in the oil, using a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot. Drain off the excess oil using a few sheets of paper towel and then lightly chop the almonds into thirds.
In a small steel bowl, toss the warm almonds with the honey and a pinch of salt and pepper and dust with the leek ash.
Heat the butter in a small pan over high heat until it browns. Remove from the heat and allow the residual heat to continue cooking the butter until the milk solids turn black, about 2 minutes.
To serve, place the crisp sausage slices on top of the marinated scallops, garnish with the fried almonds and drizzle the browned butter around the plate.
