Synergy in a Shell

I opened the warm scallop shell and the aroma of musky earth mixed with briny freshness transported me back in time to my apprenticeship. I had not made this dish in years and I had forgotten how intoxicating that smell was. As an apprentice I made this dish at least a thousand times and when I left that restaurant, I vowed to never cook a scallop with a truffle ever again. But, time moves on and a mere nineteen years later I felt compelled to cook it again.

Winter is truffle season and I had the idea to get some Italian black truffles and make something delicious. On the way to pick up the truffles I passed by the fish market and saw large plump scallops from Hokkaido. I though I can not pass up this opportunity. So with a bag of sweet and firm Japanese Scallops and a couple Italian black truffles I headed home to cook.

This dish is incredibly simple, but you can only make it on the rare occasion that you have perfect ingredients. Today was that day for me. All you do to make this dish is slice the scallops with a knife and slice the truffles with a mandoline. Put them into a scallop shell. Then put a few drops of white wine and a few pieces of butter and some sea salt. Finally put the top scallop shell on and bake the dish for 5 minutes. The scallop should be barely cooked.

The wine, butter and some juice from the scallop mix to make a simple sauce that complements the dish. The scallops from Hokkaido, Japan are very firm in texture and sweet in taste. The Italian black truffles have this musky earthiness that is impossible to explain. The pairing of the truffle and the scallop together is harmonious. This is one of those dishes where you just let the ingredients speak for themselves.