Coppa-Wrapped Scallop Brochettes
The cured meats made by Executive Chef Adam Stevenson are a top draw to Earth & Ocean restaurant at Seattle’s W Hotel. Here, he he slices coppa paper-thin and wraps the it around plump scallops for a spry riff on surf and turf.
From the March/April 2010 issue of Northwest Palate Magazine
Coppa Buying Tips Stevenson recommends the coppa made by his fellow Seattle meat curers-in-arms: Zoe’s Meats (zoesmeats.com), Salumi (salumicuredmeats.com), or The Swinery (theswinery.com), all of which offer mail order. If you’re buying from your local grocery store, Stevenson says to look for coppa that has a nice rosy color; it shouldn’t look gray. “Look for really bright meat that’s moist and supple, silky in flavor and texture. It shouldn’t smell off; it should smell cured and strong.”
Recipe: Coppa-Wrapped Scallop Brochettes
Summary: w/ Smoked Paprika Oil, Apple-Celery Root Purée, and Grapefruit-Apple Slaw Courtesy of Adam Stevenson, Executive Chef, Earth & Ocean, Seattle Washington
Ingredients
- —For the Smoked Paprika Oil
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- —For the Apple-Celery Root Purée
- 2 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- 1½ medium celery roots, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 quart water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Kosher or sea salt
- —For the Grapefruit-Apple Slaw
- 1 ruby red grapefruit, cut into suprêmes (segments with skin, pith, membranes, and seeds removed), juice reserved
- 1 Granny Smith apple (unpeeled), cored and cut into matchsticks
- ½ celery root (leftover from the Apple-Celery Root Purée), peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice from ¼ lemon
- 1 Tablespoon minced chives
- 1 Tablespoon minced tarragon
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- —For the Scallops
- 16 large sea scallops
- Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 32 paper-thin slices of coppa (about 5–6 ounces)
- 4 (6-inch) wooden skewers (soaked in water for about an hour to avoid burning)
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- For the Smoked Paprika Oil— Gently heat the oil over very low heat (about 120?F). Whisk in the paprika and salt, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Set aside.
- For the Apple-Celery Root Purée—Place the apple, celery root, thyme, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Cook until the celery root is tender, about 8–10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer, and then remove from heat and set aside. When the celery root is done, remove the thyme sprig, and strain out and transfer the celery root and apple to a blender, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Add the hot cream to the blender and purée until smooth, adding the reserved cooking liquid a little at a time, being careful not to add too much—the consistency should be similar to applesauce.
- Add salt to taste. Set aside. Keep warm.
- For the Grapefruit-Apple Slaw—In a large bowl, gently combine the grapefruit suprêmes and juice, apple, celery root, oil, lemon juice, chives, and tarragon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- For the Scallops—Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
- Wrap each scallop with 2 slices of coppa and skewer the bundles, 4 scallops to a skewer.
- Heat oil in a sauté pan large enough to hold all of the skewers; alternatively, brush the skewers with oil and grill over an open flame. In either case, cook the scallops to medium doneness, turning once to allow each side to brown, about 2 minutes per side.
- Remove the scallops from the pan (or grill) and place on a paper towel. Plate immediately.
- To assemble and serve: Make sure that the purée is hot. For each plate, spoon a smear of purée starting at one end of the plate and making a swoosh-like shape. Remove the skewer from the scallops and place them on top of the middle of the swoosh. Arrange the grapefruit slaw over the scallops and around the plate. Spoon the residual dressing from the slaw over and around the scallops. Finish the dish with a drizzle of smoked paprika oil and serve.
Article by Peter Szymczak
Photos by David Lanthan Reamer