> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.onthepassconsultancy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seared Scallops, Jerusalem Artichoke and Black Pudding - URL: https://www.onthepassconsultancy.com/seared-scallops-jerusalem-artichoke-black-pudding/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:30:00.000Z - Description: A seared scallop starter for Halloween and Bonfire Night menus. Twenty covers, almost all of it prepped the day before and cooked to order in two minutes. - Author: René Chapman - Tags: Weekly Recipes Black, ivory and caramel on one plate. A Halloween starter that never mentions a pumpkin. ## Why This Scallop Starter and Why Now Halloween falls on a Saturday this year and Bonfire Night on the Thursday after. That is a week of bookings where guests want something that feels like an occasion. Most menus answer it with pumpkin. Pumpkin is tired. This scallop starter does the job with colour instead. The scallop is the centre of it. British king scallops are at their best through autumn and winter, when the water cools and the meat firms up. Hand-dived scallops are harder to come by than dredged, but they arrive clean and undamaged. On a starter where the scallop is the whole point, that matters. Around it sit three things, each with one job. Jerusalem artichokes have just come into season. Their purée is sweet, nutty and silky, the ivory base on the plate. Crisp black pudding brings salt, spice and crunch. It is the classic partner for a scallop for good reason. The squid ink tuile is a lace of black that snaps when you break it. It is the part that makes the plate look like Halloween. It takes the kitchen almost no time. The kitchen case is just as good. The purée, the tuiles and the black pudding are all done the day before. At service the only thing cooked to order is the scallop, ninety seconds on one side and thirty on the other. ## Where This Starter Fits on Your Halloween and Bonfire Night Menus A Halloween menu does not need to be gimmicky to sell the occasion. This starter works on [a set menu for Bonfire Night week](https://www.onthepassconsultancy.com/british-food-fortnight-2026-build-a-menu-that-sells/), on a tasting menu through November and on an à la carte menu right through the winter. Scallops and black pudding are a combination diners already know and trust, so guests order it without needing it explained. It also gives your autumn menu [a seafood starter to sit against the game](https://www.onthepassconsultancy.com/pheasant-pistachio-terrine-spiced-pear-chutney/), the braises and the roasts that dominate this time of year. A menu that is all meat in late October misses the guests who want something lighter to start. **Serves 20 | Prep: 1 hour 30 minutes | Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes, then 2 minutes a plate** --- ## Ingredients Weights for the artichokes are given as purchased and as prepared. Everything else is as purchased. ### The scallops | Ingredient | Quantity | | ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | King scallops, hand-dived, shelled, roe removed | 66 (60 for service, 6 spare) | | Rapeseed oil | 80ml | | Unsalted butter | 100g | | Lemons, juice only | 2 | | Fine sea salt | to season | ### Jerusalem artichoke purée | Ingredient | Quantity | | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------- | | Jerusalem artichokes, as purchased | 1.5kg | | (Prepared weight once peeled, about 70 per cent yield) | (1.05kg) | | Whole milk | 700ml | | Unsalted butter | 100g | | Double cream | 100ml | | Lemon, juice only | 1 | | Fine sea salt | 8g | ### Squid ink tuiles | Ingredient | Quantity | | ------------- | ------------------ | | Plain flour | 60g | | Water | 500ml | | Rapeseed oil | 160ml | | Squid ink | 16g (four sachets) | | Fine sea salt | a pinch | ### Crisp black pudding | Ingredient | Quantity | | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | British black pudding, such as Stornoway | 550g (bakes down to about 420g) | | Rapeseed oil | 20ml | ### To finish | Ingredient | Quantity | | --------------- | --------- | | Chervil sprigs | 20g | | Sea salt flakes | to finish | **Per cover:** three scallops, 50g purée, one tuile, 20g crisp black pudding and a few sprigs of chervil. The purée makes about 1.2kg, so there is some over. --- ## Method The purée, tuiles and black pudding are made the day before. On the day of service, the only thing cooked to order is the scallop. Steps are numbered straight through. ### Stage 1: Jerusalem artichoke purée (the day before) **1.** Peel the artichokes and cut them into slices about 1cm thick. Drop them into a bowl of cold water with a squeeze of the lemon as you go. Jerusalem artichokes brown within minutes of being cut. Brown artichoke gives you a grey purée. **2.** Drain the artichokes and put them in a pan with the milk and half the butter. Cover with a cartouche, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until completely soft, stirring every 5 minutes. Keep the heat low. Milk catches on the base and a burnt note ruins a purée this delicate. **3.** Lift the artichokes into a blender with a slotted spoon. Blend, adding the cooking milk a little at a time until it is smooth and thick enough to hold a swoosh. Add the rest of the butter, the cream, the salt and the rest of the lemon juice, then blend for another minute. **4.** Pass through a fine sieve for a silky finish. Cool quickly in a shallow tray to below 8°C within 90 minutes, then cover, label and refrigerate below 5°C. A kitchen label printer such as [Labl.it](https://labl.it/solutions/labelling?ref=onthepassconsultancy.com) prints the use-by for you. It keeps for two days. ### Stage 2: Squid ink tuiles (the day before) **5.** Whisk the flour, water, rapeseed oil, squid ink and salt together until smooth. It looks wrong, thin and oily. That is right. The water boils off in the pan and leaves a lace of flour and oil behind. **6.** Heat a small non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Whisk the batter, because the oil separates, then pour about two tablespoons into the pan. It spreads, bubbles and spits, then the bubbling dies down and it turns to lace. That takes 2 to 3 minutes. **7.** When it stops bubbling and the edges lift, slide it out onto kitchen paper with a palette knife. Repeat until you have 25 good tuiles, which allows for a few breaking. Two pans side by side halve the time. Store in an airtight container with kitchen paper between the layers. They keep crisp for two days. ### Stage 3: Crisp black pudding (the day before, or the morning of service) **8.** Remove the skin from the black pudding and break it into small, rough pieces about the size of a pea. Spread them on a lined tray, toss with the rapeseed oil and bake at 180°C (fan 160°C) for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once, until crisp at the edges. **9.** Drain on kitchen paper, cool quickly and store in a covered container in the fridge below 5°C. It softens overnight, so re-crisp it at 180°C (fan 160°C) for 3 to 4 minutes until piping hot before service. ### Stage 4: Service **10.** Before service, pat the scallops completely dry, top and bottom, lay them on kitchen paper in a tray and keep them covered in the fridge. Take each batch out 10 minutes before it goes in the pan. A wet scallop steams instead of searing. You lose the caramel crust that makes the dish. **11.** Warm the purée gently in a pan, stirring, until it reaches 75°C on the probe, then hold it at 63°C or above in the bain-marie. Do not boil it or it will split. **12.** Heat a heavy frying pan until it is smoking hot, then add a film of the rapeseed oil. Season the scallops with fine sea salt only on the side going down first. Lay them in the pan clockwise, so you know which went in first. Leave them alone for 90 seconds until a deep golden crust forms. **13.** Turn them in the same order. Add a knob of the butter, let it foam and spoon it over the scallops for 30 seconds. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and lift them onto kitchen paper. The middle should still be just translucent. Cook in batches of no more than 12, because a crowded pan drops in temperature and the scallops stew. **14.** Plate each cover with 50g of purée, three scallops, 20g of crisp black pudding, a tuile and a few sprigs of chervil, then finish with a few sea salt flakes, as below. --- ## Plating Spoon the warm purée onto a warm plate, slightly off centre. Drag it into a swoosh with the back of the spoon. Set the three scallops along the purée, crust side up. Scatter the crisp black pudding around and between them. Stand the tuile up against the scallops, or lay it across them, so it catches the light. Finish with a few sprigs of chervil and a pinch of sea salt flakes on each scallop. Dark plates show off the ivory purée and the black tuile best. --- ## The Make-Ahead Workflow | When | Job | How long | | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------- | | The day before | Jerusalem artichoke purée, cooled and chilled | 45 minutes | | The day before | Squid ink tuiles, stored airtight | 1 hour 30 minutes, two pans | | The day before, or the morning of service | Crisp black pudding, chilled below 5°C | 20 minutes | | Before service | Dry the scallops and keep them chilled, reheat the purée, re-crisp the black pudding | 15 minutes | | Service | Sear the scallops and plate | 2 minutes a plate | --- ## Chef's Notes **On sourcing the scallops:** I'd ask your fishmonger for hand-dived king scallops, shelled, with the roe removed, delivered on the day you need them. Look for scallops that are dry to the touch, firm and sweet smelling. Avoid any sitting in liquid, which is a sign they have been soaked in water or phosphates. They will never sear properly. Keep them below 5°C on a tray over ice, not touching the ice or meltwater. Use them within 24 hours of shucking. Log the fridge temperature at every check. A digital hygiene app such as [Leafe](https://www.leafeapp.com/?ref=onthepassconsultancy.com) keeps that record for you. **On the tuiles:** The first one is never right, so treat it as a test. If the batter will not turn to lace, the pan is not hot enough. If it burns before it sets, turn the heat down a little. Once you have the heat right, they come out the same every time. **On running it at volume:** Twenty covers is comfortable for one chef on the starter section with two pans going. Everything except the scallop is on the plate before the scallop is cooked. Holding a seared scallop overcooks it, so cook to order and send at once. **On serving scallops just translucent:** The scallops are served just translucent in the middle. Front of house should offer them cooked through for pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised guests. **On allergens:** This dish contains molluscs (scallops and squid ink), milk (butter, cream and whole milk) and cereals containing gluten (plain flour, with oats or barley in most black puddings). Black pudding recipes vary, so check the label for all 14 allergens. Some contain wheat, sulphites, mustard or celery. [Declare all of them on your allergen matrix](https://www.onthepassconsultancy.com/natashas-law-the-essential-guide-to-food-allergen-labelling/) and make sure front of house knows the dish contains molluscs. --- ## Scallop Starter Recipe FAQs **When are British scallops in season?**King scallops are landed all year, but they are at their best from October through to the spring, when the cooler water firms up the meat. **Can I sear scallops ahead of time?**No. Seared scallops overcook within minutes of leaving the pan. Prep everything else ahead and cook the scallops to order. **What can I use instead of squid ink?**Leave the ink out and the tuile comes out golden instead of black. It still works on the plate, it just loses the Halloween look. **How do I know when a scallop is cooked?**The outside should have a deep golden crust and the middle should still be just translucent when you cut one open. If it is white all the way through, it has gone too far. --- *Enjoyed this recipe? 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