Dishes 421: Scallops with yoghurt, black olives, curry and peanuts 1997

Ordinarily this blog sticks to the 2005-2011 catalog for recipes, but for the last couple weeks I've been browsing the 1994-1997 catalog and reading the extensive commentary for each year. This "dish" from 1997 caught my attention. While it is conventional in some ways it does have several aspects that elBulli would continue to use right through 2011.

The Sauces



We've got two very simple sauces: plain yoghurt, and an olive preparation. The black olive sauce is sort of a preview of the many ways elBulli would use finely pureed olives in future years. They haven't yet discovered the super bag so the preparation simply drains through a sieve and of course the various emulsifiers and texturizers like monoglyceride remain unknown.

Making the olive sauce was simple. I popped some black olives and EVOO into the Thermomix and blitzed them into a smooth(ish) paste. Then I drained the paste through a strainer.

The Peanuts

ElBulli would continue to work with various candied and spiced nuts and seeds, reshaping them in "mimetic" form and sometimes featuring them on their own as in Cantonés Músico. In this early recipe roasted peanuts are combined with sugar and water heated to 117° C and then slowly caramelized.

Assembly

Yoghurt & Olive Goop

Peanuts & Re-hydrated Apricot

Scallops, Maldon Salt and a Whisp of Curry Powder

The Scallops

Shell fish are one of the few proteins elBulli would continue to serve in recognizable form throughout its existence. Here the scallops are lightly fried and served on the sauces with the peanuts and re-hydrated apricot quarters.

How it tastes: Hey, it's scallops. It tastes great. Beth called the apricots "inspired". We'll add this to our permanent repertoire of "starters". It's a little strange, but still delicious, without being challenging.

Equipment and Ingredients

The Book: El Bulli 1994-1997 - The "cheapest" of the elBulli catalogs. This one covers the "transition years" as elBulli moved from a traditional ala cart menu toward the tasting menu they would make famous.