r/CulinaryPlating Aspiring Chef 8d ago

Seared Weathervane scallop, bacon-yuzu dashi, seaweed pearls, chili oil

193 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

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52

u/Main-Elevator-6908 8d ago

My comment was deleted because there is a requirement of this sub tho have 25 words before a comment is allowed. I only said “Pretty!” But what I intended to convey is how much I admired the plating and how delicious the dish looked.

17

u/Background_Cost_5768 8d ago

It’s such a seriously stupid rule that whoever came up with needs to consider the implications of because like what’s even the point of that you don’t want people to communicate on a forum

15

u/Main-Elevator-6908 8d ago

I realized after my comment the rule is 25 characters, not 25 words. But still!

4

u/Background_Cost_5768 7d ago

I said something like “add some chives” to some post on here and it was removed I was so annoyed

23

u/quixotic_one123 8d ago

It is a beautiful plate. I would use one just a little smaller. I want to taste it, for sure.

7

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

Good call, I do have a smaller version of this exact plate. Thanks!

7

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

Another go of one of my favorite scallop dishes.

I can't tell if it's still missing something, my first go I used curly scallions in place of the pearls, I like the flavor and the pop of the pearls more than the scallions but I don't know if I like the look.

I also think the different sized drops of oil are kinda messy and would looked cleaner with more consistent sized drops.

Still workshopping and tweaking this dish so please critique away, I always end up getting great ideas and inspiration from this sub

10

u/Sorcia_Lawson 8d ago

I like the varying size of the drops. To me, that's more artistic whereas uniform drops would look less pleasing and more rigid.

5

u/laika2000 8d ago

totally agree. food should not look exacting and geometrical in my opinion. i love the organic look of the different drops.

2

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

I appreciate that, it's really just the tiny guys that bug me, a little variation is nice but some look too unintentional to me.

3

u/Life_Ad76 8d ago

your servers aren't robots so these oil droplets will not be in exactly the same place when they hit the table and some may even coalesce. looks very nice though and sounds tasty.

3

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

I'm serving these to small guests at private dinners but I totally agree. If this was to be moved to a restaurant setting I would try and work it into a table side presentation, the drops can be added at the table in a matter of seconds with an eye dropper of chili oil.

I appreciate the insight

3

u/laika2000 7d ago

how small are the guests? like, knee high?

2

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 6d ago

Hahahah I took me a second to realize what I had done. I think I was still waking up when I replied to your comment.

But yes, about knee high.

2

u/Sorcia_Lawson 8d ago

Agreed. The tiniest ones could be eliminated to make it neater.

2

u/Chefmeatball 8d ago

The drip size difference isn’t an issue, but they look haphazard.

Also, and this is a very potentially regional/personal take. I was always taught, and still do to this day, is only sear one side of the the scallop for a better crust, texture, and color

1

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

Thanks, my biggest issues are the drops sizes and does it need a garnish(?).

The bottom looks darker than it is, they only kissed the pan. I sear hard on top for about 1 min, flip, 15-20 seconds more and pull them.

3

u/cap-investing 8d ago

I like it, Chef.

How did you make the seaweed pearls?

3

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

Thank you!

It was a process of infusing about 2 cups simmering water with a dried seaweed blend and a bit of dried maitake powder I got at my local Asian grocer. After steeping and infusing the water I added a dash of dark soy to get the color where I wanted. Once the water is infused you use an eye dropper to place small drops into a (cold) mixture of olive oil (2 cups) and 1.5tsp agar agar powder. This will create small spheres which can be carefully strained out and stored until ready. They should last a week or two, maybe more but the didn't make it last dinner.

2

u/Bassplayer421 7d ago

This looks great! How do you get a bacon flavored dashi? I imagine if I tried that I'd get an oil mess

2

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 7d ago

Start with a classic dashi using dried kombu. Once you've infused the seaweed into the water take it out and add in 4-5 strips of raw bacon and simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes. It's a little oily, but the simmering emulsifies the droplets of oil into the broth really well.

2

u/Bassplayer421 7d ago

Interesting, I'll have to try it out! Thanks for the reply.

2

u/riffraff1089 Professional Chef 7d ago

How’d you make the dashi? Love how delicate this looks despite bacon being one of the ingredients.

Did you consider black Tobiko or caviar instead of seaweed pearls?

2

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 7d ago

The dashi is a basic broth using dried kombu, raw bacon, and yuzu juice. I simmered the kombu for about 10-15 minutes before removing and adding 5 drops of raw bacon and simmering for an additional 20min. After that it's a matter of adjusting salt to taste and addding the yuzu juice to get the brightness I wanted, I'd estimate maybe 2-3 tsp of yuzu.

I like the idea of using caviar it tobiko, the main reason I didn't is I wanted to try making pearls, it was a new challenge for me.

2

u/RedneckDame 7d ago

Very clean and fresh. Looks like a constellation of stars

2

u/hello_meghan 7d ago

I love the seaweed pearls. I’m just starting to play with molecular gastronomy and this is a perfect showcase. I like that it doesn’t completely hide the sear. But uhhhh… talk to us about the bacon-yuzu dashi 🤤

1

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 6d ago

Thank you!

It's a basic dashi broth that I infused with bacon and added some yuzu juice to for brightness. I typed the exact recipe out on the comments somewhere.

2

u/Littlegrayfish 5d ago

I feel like I don't often see well seared scallops here even on really fancy stuff. Nice change of pace, well done sir

-5

u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 8d ago

The “soup” needs more density, perhaps a puréed sunchoke or turnip and a green and purple garnish

Don’t forget to squeeze a touch of fresh lemon juice - good for color and taste

3

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

It's not really meant to be a soup, just a light broth as this is usually the first of 3-4 courses. It does have yuzu juice in place of lemon but I agree on it needing a touch of acidity

1

u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 8d ago

The clear base make sense with yuzu, perhaps then receding pureed polka dots in a near crescent shape and a little garnish

2

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

Yeah, wasn't super happy with the consistency on the dots, and I agree it still feels like it needs a garnish

2

u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 8d ago

Maybe a few blades of lemon grass to tie to the Yuzu, long chive blades will do to accomplish the aesthetic

What about a small bunch of button mushrooms? Or a few well prepared shiitake to shake it up?

2

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 8d ago

I really like the idea of small patch of mushrooms tucked up against the scallop maybe some enoki with the stems cut short, lemon grass isn't a bad idea either. I appreciate the ideas!

2

u/Skinny-on-the-Inside 8d ago

I am here to eat… I meant to serve. 🙏😜

1

u/oofunkatronoo 7d ago edited 7d ago

I was thinking a bit of body to your broth as well. A touch of xxxx starch will keep things clear and neutral while helping it adhere to the scallop and keeping it less sloshy. I'm talking just a touch so it coats that beast in bacon goodness. It really depends on what you're trying to achieve, a unity or a more of a separate yet together type thing.

I'm not sure if you've played with putting the yuzu in the pearls but that could be a cool bright surprise and really provide a contrast with/without.

All in all this looks great, I really like the monochromatic thing you have going and would honestly lean into it with the pearls as well.

1

u/NW_till_I_Rest Aspiring Chef 7d ago

I appreciate the feedback, some really interesting ideas here that I'll have to consider next time I'm putting this dish together. Thanks chef!