How to Cook Pink Pepper Crusted Scallops, Coconut Sambal Betel Leaves - Chef Dominique Rizzo

Chef Dominique Rizzo at Putia Pure Food Kitchen shares her recipe on How to Cook Pink Pepper Crusted Scallops, Coconut Sambal Betel Leaves

For creative inspiration, Chef Dominique Rizzo looks to her herb garden at her Brisbane restaurant. There are some really unusual herbs and vegetables from betel leaf to Ceylon spinach growing here.

Watch Chef Dominique Rizzo on her Putia Pure Food Kitchen You Tube channel as she shares her tips on cooking with betel leaf and Ceylon spinach.

The betel leaf, a friend of the pepper plants is a good source of calcium and vitamin C and is often used to complement traditional medicine. The betel leaf is a perfect size to use as the base for small morsels of seafood or fill the leaves with spicy lamb mince and secure with a toothpick. These are perfect ideas for serving your guests finger food, canapés or tapas; or as a delightful, taste explosion of an entree at your dinner party.

Similarly, Ceylon Spinach is a vine with shiny green leaves and black seeds and is perfect to eat raw in salads or sauté quickly as a side dish to fish or chicken.

Follow this easy recipe on How to Cook Pink Pepper Crusted Scallops, Coconut Sambal Betel Leaves

Serves 4

Pink Pepper Crusted Scallops Ingredients:

12 fresh large scallops

1 tsp. pink peppercorns

1/8 tsp. white pepper corns

Couple pinches of salt

12 betel leaves all the same size

1 tbsp. sunflower oil

Fresh lime to serve

Coconut Sambal Ingredients:

Makes about 1 cup

1 cup shredded coconut

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 cup coriander leaves

1 long red chilli seeded

1 tsp. sugar

Steps:

For the Sambal, place the coconut in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside for 20 minutes. Drain, place in small food processor, add the fish sauce, lime juice, coriander, chilli and sugar and pulse until finely chopped.
For the scallops, in a spice grinder combine the pink pepper, white pepper and salt and grind until fine. Heat a pan over moderate temperature, drizzle a little oil onto the scallops and place the scallops into the pan cooking the scallops on one side for about two minutes – depending on the thickness. Season the scallops with some of the salt and pepper mix and cook on the seasoned side for a minute or two until the scallops are slightly opaque.
To serve place three betel leaves onto a plate, top with the Sambal then one of the scallops; serve with a slice of fresh lime.