Photography: Ashlee deCaires
Lisa Quarrie from Hayes Common in Hamilton East takes beautiful in season corn and serves it with fresh NZ scallops.
100g butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 sweetcorn cobs, kernels removed
80ml (⅓ cup) white wine
60ml (¼ cup) water
1 tsp smoked paprika (plus a little extra for garnish)
10 large scallops
5 slices prosciutto, sliced horizontally into thin strips
4 strips streaky bacon
Heat 50g of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the shallot and garlic for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the corn kernels and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine and simmer for two minutes or until it almost evaporates. Add the water. Season with salt and pepper and smoked paprika. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes or until corn is tender. Allow to cool slightly, then using a blender/food processor/stick-blender, add the final 50g of butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to the mix and puree until smooth.
Take the streaky bacon and place on a baking paper lined tray, bake at 170°C until crispy. When cooled, cut or crumble into small pieces.
Sear the scallops with a little olive oil and butter until golden (only takes about 1–2 minutes depending on size of scallops). Wrap each scallop in a thin strip of prosciutto. Place corn puree on plate, scallop on top, with bacon crumb over the top. Sprinkle with a little extra smoked paprika on the plate.
