Grilled Loch Fyne Queenies with Chervil Butter

Scallops for me are best served raw. Freshly shucked and pulsing, straight from from the briny with nothing added save a huge grin. However, I do appreciate that this practice is not within everyones’ remit and of course the next best thing is cooking them in a myriad of different ways, but always ensuring that under cooking is the essential norm. Less is more [sic]

Jamie McMillan runs Loch Fyne Sea Farms, operating out of the picturesque and timeless fishing village of Tarbert in Argyllshire. Having been fishing for langoustines all his life along the Scottish West coast, he has recently turned his attentions to sustainable aquaculture and invested in an operation that farms Queen scallops in the nutritionally rich and pristine waters of the loch.

Queen scallops generally inhibit the seabed in sandy and gravely areas. Trawled and dredged for in seasonally operated fisheries like the Isle of Man, they are a sensational although environmentally sensitive product that requires strict monitoring of the fishery. In Loch Fyne however, growing quickly and efficiently in their ‘Lantern nets’ suspended from a buoyed headrope, the ‘queenies’ are a naturally sourced product, which are ranched in about 40m of water.

Taking approximately 2 years to reach a mature size of about 40-60 pieces /kg, requires good husbandry and the growing scallops are constantly monitored graded and restocked to allow optimum growth rates. The resulting product is not only exquisite in flavour, texture and colour, but one hundred percent ethically produced with virtually a zero carbon footprint and completely organic. Now, that’s my kind of farming.

Grilled Queen Scallops with Chervil Butter

Serves 4 (as a starter)

Ingredients

32 Loch Fyne Queen scallops, cleaned and in the half shell

100g salted butter

1 lime cut into wedges.

Bunch of fresh garden chervil (chopped)

Method

Arrange the scallops on a foil-lined grill tray and bring the grill up to a high heat.

Soften the butter to room temperature, in a small bowl and mix in the chopped chervil. Brush a little soften butter onto each scallop, season with black pepper and place under the grill for approximately 2 mins.

Remove from the heat and give each one a squeeze of lime, before serving with a dressed salad garnish.