This is a nice example how you can make a great looking and delicious appetizer with only a few ingredients and little time. The combination of sea scallops and parsnip works very well. The hardest part by far of this recipe is the parsnip peel crisps; feel free to leave those out. I saw them at Librije. They are quite tasty with a nice crunch and parsnip flavor, but hard to get right.

Ingredients

For 4 servings

4 sea scallops

2 medium parsnips

olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh tarragon, for garnish

Instructions

Thoroughly wash the parsnips and peel them, trying to get long strips of parsnip skin.

Lightly brush the parsnip peelings with a bit of olive oil and crisp them up in the oven at 120C/250F.

This will take an hour or so. Mine did not turn out as crispy as at Librije.

Chop the parsnip flesh and boil in a bit of water until tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the parsnip, and season to taste with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Sear the scallops in a bit of olive oil over high heat for a couple of minutes per side. Season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper after searing.

Serve the scallops with the parsnip puree. Garnish with tarragon and parsnip peel crisps.

Wine pairing

This is nice with most oaked white wines, such as oaked Chardonnay.

Flashback

These homemade pork tamales are a bit of work to make, but quite delicious and worth the effort.