Ingredients

• 2 tbsp light vegetable oil
• plus a little extra for brushing
• 1 black pudding
• cut into 1cm/½ in thick slices
• 12 king scallops
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 55g/2oz unsalted butter
• 6 spring onions
• finely sliced
• 175g/6oz frozen peas
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar
• 300ml/½ pint vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves
• roughly chopped
• 150ml/5¼fl oz double cream
• sprigs of fresh mint
• to garnish
• sherry vinegar
• boiled until reduced by half
• to garnish

Directions

• For the pea and mint purée
• heat a medium non-stick deep frying pan and melt half the butter until hot and foaming. Add the spring onions and cook until soft.
• Add the peas
• caster sugar
• stock and remaining butter and stir together. Place a circle of greaseproof paper over the top of the mixture and allow to sweat for about 4-5 minutes.
• Remove the paper and stir in the mint leaves and cream. Cook for another minute until all the liquid has evaporated.
• Transfer into a food processor and blend until almost smooth
• leaving some texture in the mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
• For the scallops and black pudding
• heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and gently fry the black pudding slices until crisp. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
• Lightly brush a heavy-based frying pan with a little extra vegetable oil and place it over a high heat until very hot.
• Season the scallops with a little salt then place them in the hot pan and sear for one minute on each side
• until browned. Remove from the pan.
• Place a generous spoonful of the mint purée on each of four warm serving plates.
• Arrange the scallops and black pudding slices in overlapping layers on top of the purée.
• Drizzle the sherry vinegar reduction over the warm scallop salad and serve immediately
• sprinkled with fresh mint.