Recipe: King Oyster Mushroom Scallops

King Oyster Scallops with pea & 'bacon' fricassee, celeriac puree and parsley emulsion. Garnished with pea shoots.

I love cooking food that challenges me, and that often comes in the form of challenging myself to cook something that is vegetarian or vegan. This is a vegetarian dish that could easily be adapted to vegan by using aquafaba (the liquid from chickpeas) instead of egg yolk in the parsley emulsion.

RECIPE (Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS:

For the king oyster mushroom scallops:

- 4x king oyster mushroom stalks

- 2 tbsp olive oil

For the celeriac puree:

- 1 medium sized celeriac

- 2 tbsp olive oil

For the vegan bacon fricassee:

- 200g frozen peas

- 4x king oyster mushroom heads

- ½ pack Finnebrogue Naked ‘without the oink’ plant-based bacon

- 1 tbsp olive oil

For the parsley emulsion (skip this step if you want the dish to be completely vegan):

- 1 bunch parsley

- 250ml groundnut oil

- 2 egg yolks

- 1 tsp white wine vinegar

To garnish:

- Pea shoots

METHOD:

- Preheat oven to 180ºC.

- Bring some water to the boil in a pan and place the parsley into the water for no longer than 20 seconds. Remove and place into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Remove from water and squeeze as much liquid out of the parsley as possible.

- Place the parsley in a blender with the groundnut oil and blitz for a few minutes until combined.

- Place a sieve lined with a muslin cloth over a bowl/jug (or alternatively use a coffee filter) and pour in the parsley oil and leave to drip through.

- Peel the celeriac and cut into chunks. Season and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and place in oven until soft.

- Once the oil has dripped through, whisk together the egg yolk and white wine vinegar in a large bowl and then very gradually begin adding the parsley oil, one drip at a time. Once you are beginning to reach mayonnaise texture, you can add the oil faster. Keep to one side.

- Take the celeriac out of the oven and blend. If it is too dry to blend, add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Push through a fine sieve then season and keep warm in a pan.

- Boil the peas in a pan for a couple of minutes then strain the water and keep to one side.

- Cut the king oyster mushroom stalks into scallop sized pieces. Keep any trimmings and the heads for the fricassee. Score a criss-cross pattern into both flat sides of the ‘scallops’. Add to a medium hot frying pan with the olive oil, turning once golden brown.

- Cut the mushroom heads and bacon into small pieces and add to a hot pan with the olive oil. When almost cooked, add the peas.

- To plate, place the celeriac puree onto a plate and spread with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Place scallops on top and add fricassee and emulsion around the sides of the scallops. Garnish with pea shoots.