The Hawt Scallop w Broccoli Purée + Scorch Honey

Pan seared scallops in butter, minced garlic and dried basil over a silky broccoli purée, finished with spicy mustard micro greens, green onion, chilli flakes and a Scorch Honey drizzle. This is the dish that makes people think you went to culinary school. You didn’t. You just cooked with intention.

Ingredients

Serves 2 as a starter, 1 as a main

The Scallops

• 6 large sea scallops, dry packed
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Salt & coarse black pepper
• 1 tbsp neutral oil (for searing)

The Broccoli Purée

• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp double cream
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt & white pepper to taste

To Garnish

• Handful spicy mustard micro greens
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• Pinch of dried chilli flakes
• Hawt Sawhcey Scorch Honey — to drizzle

Method

1. Make the broccoli purée

Blanch the broccoli florets in heavily salted boiling water for 3–4 minutes until just tender but still bright green. Drain immediately and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and lock in the colour. In a small pan, gently cook the minced garlic in butter for 1 minute. Add the broccoli, cream, and garlic butter to a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Season with salt and white pepper. Pass through a sieve if you want it restaurant-smooth. Keep warm.

2. Prepare the scallops

This step is non-negotiable — pat the scallops completely dry with paper towel. Both sides. Dry scallops sear, wet scallops steam. Season generously with salt and coarse black pepper on both flat sides just before cooking.

3. The sear

Get a heavy pan — cast iron or stainless steel — ripping hot over high heat. Add the neutral oil. When it starts to smoke, carefully place the scallops flat side down. Do not touch them. Do not move them. Cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until a deep golden crust forms on the bottom. Flip once. Add the butter immediately — it will foam. Add the minced garlic and dried basil to the butter and baste the scallops continuously for 60–90 seconds. Pull from the heat. The centre should be just translucent — they carry-over cook fast.

4. Plate with intention

Spoon the warm broccoli purée into the centre of each bowl and spread into a wide circle with the back of the spoon. Arrange the scallops on top. Scatter the spicy mustard micro greens and sliced green onion generously over and around. Pinch of chilli flakes. Then — the move — a slow, deliberate drizzle of Scorch Honey over each scallop. The sweet heat against the butter, the brine, the green — that’s the dish.

Hawt Notes 🔥

• Dry packed scallops only — wet packed scallops are treated with a phosphate solution that prevents them from searing properly. Ask your fishmonger for dry packed.
• Pat them bone dry — moisture is the enemy of a crust. Paper towel, both sides, right before they go in the pan.
• Don’t crowd the pan — too many scallops drops the pan temperature and you’ll steam instead of sear. Cook in batches if needed.
• Ice bath the broccoli — stops the cooking instantly and keeps that vivid green colour. Without it the purée turns army green within minutes.
• Scorch Honey at the end — the heat of the honey against the briny sweetness of the scallop is the combination that elevates this from a good plate to a great one.