Crown Street Cooks : Toko’s Scallops with Jalapeno Sauce

Fundraising was never like this when I was at school! But then again, I didn’t go to school in one of Sydney’s best eat streets.

World famous chefs Mark Best, Kylie Kwong, Bill Granger, Alex Herbert and Luke Nguyen and more than 25 other local restauranteurs have thrown their support behind Crown Street Public School with recipes for Crown Street Cooks. Add to this a very talented team of parents and you turn a school fundraising project into one of the must have cookbooks of this year.

Recipes include Cured Ocean Trout With Fennel & Chestnuts (Marque), Organic Mushroom Salad (Billy Kwong), Bill Granger’s Scones (bills), Tiramasu (Bird Fish Cow), Goi Cuon – soft rice paper rolls with prawns & pork (Red Lantern) and this recipe for Scallops with Jalapeno Sauce from Toko restaurant.

Photo by Toby Burrows

Toko’s Scallops with Jalapeno Sauce

Serves 4

Prep 30 mins / Soaking 30 mins / Cooking 5 mins

12 scallops, roe removed
1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic mayonnaise, micro herbs, panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) to serve

Apple Amuza

5 Granny Smith apples
Salt
1 cup apple juice
1 cup sushi vinegar

Jalapeno Sauce

60g jalapeno chillies
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
100ml rice vinegar
100ml mirin
100ml pomace olive oil or vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp chopped spring onion
1 tbsp coriander leaves

First make the apple amazu. Peel, core and quarter apples. Finely slice, lengthways, and place in a bowl of salted water.

Set aside for 30 mins, until apples have softened slightly. Drain and rinse off salt under running water. Drain again.

Combine apple juice and sushi vinegar in a large bowl. Add apple and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the Jalapeno Sauce, place jalapeno, ginger, garlic, vinegar and mirin in a food processor or small spice blender.

Blend until smooth and paste-like. Add oil, onion and coriander and pulse until finely chopped and well combined.

Season to taste and set aside.

Lightly oil and season scallops. Preheat a chargrill, barbecue or large frypan on high.

Cook scallops for 1-2 mins each side, until seared.

To serve, place scallops on plates and drizzle with jalapeno sauce. Top with 1tbsp pickled apple (squeezing excess liquid out first), a little garlic mayonnaise, micro herbs and a sprinkle of panko.

Notes: Panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs, are available from Asian sections of supermarkets.

This recipe courtesy Toko Restaurant & Bar, Surry Hills. First published in Crown Street Cooks 2010.

Crown Street Cooks is a beautifully photographed, high quality 200 page book featuring the recipes of talented home cooks and big name chefs. The fundraising cookbook will retail for AU$34.95 at designated Crown Street businesses and selected bookstores or you can purchase – or preorder – online at http://www.crownstreetcooks.com.au

$1 from the sale of every book will be donated to the local Salvation Army’s Youth Support Network, located in the heart of Surry Hills. And, the proceeds will raise much needed equipment for the historic Crown Street Public School (established 1849).