Vegan food is incredibly inventive. It never ceases to amaze us at the creativity which goes into coming up different dishes, like this vegan scallops recipe – where the ‘scallops’ are made from mushrooms. And it’s not just a simple scallop rip-off, this dish is a work of art. And a tasty one at that.
We love to think that people will be making this as their starter this Christmas or for their dinner party. And amazing their guests at the same time. Mushrooms are incredibly ‘meaty’ and so make the perfect scallop replacement.
The stems of King Oyster Mushrooms (new to the Tesco Finest range) are cut into half an inch slices, to mimic the size and shape of scallops. The ‘scallops’ are marinated in traditional seafood flavourings such as capers, white wine and lemon juice and pan fried with shallots and garlic. The cooked ‘scallops’ are great served with seasonal creamed maple parsnips and garnished with toasted hazelnuts and watercress to add texture and a flash of colour.
Ingredients for ‘scallops’:
- 4 Tesco Finest King Oyster mushrooms
- 1 tsp of salt
- Juice of 2 lemons
- ½ litre warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A splash of white wine
- Ingredients for creamed maple parsnips:
- 3 parsnips
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for garnish:
- 50g hazelnuts, toasted
- Hazelnut oil
- Watercress
Tools:
- Grater
- Large saucepan
- Frying pan with lid
- Colander
- Food processor
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Cut the caps off the mushrooms and cut the stems into 2cm thick slices. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into a mixing bowl, catching any pips in your other hand. Add the salt to the mixing bowl. Put the slices of mushroom in the mixing bowl, cover the mushrooms with warm water and leave the mushroom slices to soak for 2 hours.
- Peel the parsnips and chop them into 2cm chunks. Put the chunks of parsnips into a pan, cover with water, season well and put the pan on the stove over a high heat, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Drain the vegetables and let them steam dry in a colander.
- Put the parsnips in the food processor, add the olive oil and seasoning and blitz to a smooth purée. Taste the purée, adjust the seasoning if needed and transfer to small saucepan.
- Spread the hazelnuts out over a baking sheet, put the sheet in the oven for 8-9 minutes to toast the nuts. Take the nuts out of the oven, roughly chop them and set to one side.
- Drain the Mushroom Scallops. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan, add a splash of white wine and fry the Scallops for 4 minutes on each side until golden in colour with a slight crisp around the sides. Turn the heat right down and leave the scallops to keep warm. Put the parsnip purée on the stove over a medium heat and warm it through, stirring constantly.
- Artfully flick a dessert spoon of parsnip purée over a plate. Place 4 ‘scallops’ across the purée. Sprinkle over some toasted hazelnuts. Drizzle over a little hazelnut oil. Sprinkle over a few sprigs of watercress and serve immediately.
Let us know if you enjoyed this vegan scallops recipe! Looking for more plant-based inspiration? Have a look at our range of vegan recipes.
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