This is one of those dishes that looks fancy but is actually very forgiving - the kind you make when you want to impress without stressing yourself out. The corn sauce is naturally sweet and silky, the scallops get that beautiful golden sear, and then you get a surprise crunch and caramelised nuttiness from the candied walnuts. Finish it with a handful of fresh arugula and lemon juice to cut through the richness and bring everything back into balance, adding a fresh, peppery lift that ties the whole dish together beautifully.
It’s elegant but not pretentious, comforting yet refined..? It's the kind of dish that gives full restaurant vibes and would easily go for $28 a plate, except you made it in your own kitchen (and possibly in pyjamas). *winks*
Serves 2–3 people (as a main) or 4 (as a starter)
Ingredients:
For the Corn Sauce:
3 fresh corn (or 2 cups corn kernels)
1 small onion or shallot, finely diced
1 - 1.5 cup chicken or vegetable stock
¼ cup cream (optional, for extra richness)
1 Tbsp butter
Salt & white pepper, to taste
A few sprigs of thyme (optional)
For the Candied Fried Walnuts:
7-9 piece of walnuts
1 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
For the Seared Scallops:
250g/ 500g Hotate
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp butter
To Finish:
A handful of fresh arugula
Olive oil (optional drizzle)
Lemon zest or juice (optional, for brightness)
Steps:
Corn Sauce:
- Cut the kernels off the corn cobs (or use ready corn kernels)
- In a saucepan, add oil over medium heat. Sauté onion/shallot until soft and translucent.
- Add the corn kernels to the pot and sauté for 10–20 seconds. Toss in the thyme, then pour in the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 12–15 minutes to extract the natural sweetness of the corn.
- Remove herbs, then blend the mixture until smooth.
- Once blended until smooth, strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any remaining solids. Return the velouté to the pan, season with salt and white pepper, and keep warm over low heat.
Tip: If the sauce is too thick, loosen with a splash of stock. Too thin? Simmer gently to reduce.
Candied Fried Walnuts:
- Heat a small pan of oil over medium heat.
- Coat walnut with sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Shallow fry until glossy and slightly caramelised (takes only a few seconds!)
- Transfer immediately onto parchment paper to cool
Sear the Scallops:
- Pat scallops completely dry (this is very important to get a good sear)
- Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a pan over high heat until just smoking.
- Sear scallops 1½ – 2 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Add butter in the last 30 seconds and baste lightly. Remove and rest briefly.
To Plate:
This is where it goes from “normal home meal” to “eh, you cooked restaurant food ah?” Don’t overthink the plating - just keep it simple: sauce, scallops in the middle, crunchy bits, green on top. Boom. Done!
- Spoon warm corn sauce onto the plate as the base.
- Arrange seared scallops on top.
- Scatter candied walnuts for crunch.
- Finish with fresh arugula and an optional drizzle of olive oil or squeeze of lemon.
- Serve and enjoy!