Sea Scallops with Hibiscus Sauce
This recipe for scallops with hibiscus sauce comes from West Africa and is featured in the new cookbook, "The Contemporary African Kitchen."
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried hibiscus flowers
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 green plantain peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 clove garlic lightly crushed but whole
- 2 slices back bacon cut into 16 pieces about 1½ inches (4 cm) long
- 12 sea scallops
- 4 fl oz white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 branches microgreens to garnish
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups (16 fl oz/475 ml) of water to a boil, then add the hibiscus flowers. Turn off the heat, then cover and let infuse for 15 minutes. Pass the infusion through a strainer and keep the juice.
- Heat the oil in a small stock pot on medium heat to 340°F/170°C. Add the plantain slices and fry for 3–5 minutes until browned. Then remove the plantain with a slotted spoon, drain excess oil on paper towels, and season with salt.
- In a medium pan on medium heat, add the butter, garlic, bacon, and the scallops. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the bacon and scallops (but leave the garlic clove) and set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the wine and hibiscus infusion into the pan to deglaze. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the hibiscus reduction onto a plate. Then place the scallops and bacon on top. Roll up the plantain slices and place around the plate. Season with salt, garnish with a few microgreens, and serve.
Notes
This recipe is excerpted from The Contemporary African Kitchen © 2024 by Alexander Smalls, with Nina Oduro. Photography © 2024 by Beatriz da Costa. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.
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