“I remember making this sauce at Kinnaird House years ago, and I’ve been making it ever since. The jus de nage is so important. It involves a lot of veg chopping but the stock can be left in a Kilner jar in the fridge for a few weeks and will be perfect to poach fish in, to use as a base for a cream sauce, or even to add to a gravy on Sunday. It’s full of flavour.”

Serves 4

Prep time: 1 hour

Cooking time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 large hand-dived scallops, cleaned and left in their shell with the roe attached 
1 medium organic carrot, peeled and cut into very small dice
1/2 glass sweet wine, like a Sauternes
100ml jus de nage (veg stock)
25ml double cream
100g cold unsalted butter, diced
Good salt and pepper
1 teaspoon cold-pressed rapeseed oil
A few drops of lemon juice
Chervil to garnish

For the jus de nage 

2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
1 stick celery, cut into small dice
1/2 bulb fennel, cut into small dice
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into small dice
1 leek, cut into small dice 
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 pinch saffron
Peel of 1 lemon
500ml water
500ml white wine
A few peppercorns
A sprig of thyme
Good salt and pepper

METHOD

To make the jus de nage. Add all the ingredients to a pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Strain off as much stock as you need and retain the rest for something else.

Make the carrot butter sauce by placing the finely-diced carrot in a small pot with the sweet wine, and cook until half the wine has evaporated. Next add the jus de nage and reduce by half. Then add the cream and reduce by half again. As this is bubbling away, swirl in the cold butter. Season and add a few drops of lemon juice. Continue stirring until all the butter emulsifies. Don’t over heat the sauce or it will split, so do this gently off the heat. 

Season the scallops with a kick of salt and pepper, then sear them in the oil in a hot, non-stick frying pan, flesh-side down. Cook for 3 minutes then remove from the pan and flash them under a hot grill, or in a hot oven, in their shells.

To serve, trickle the butter sauce over the scallops and garnish with chervil.