Glazed & Pickled Vegetables, Romesco Sauce, Seared Scallop & Herb Oil

This is a dish where the vegetables do the talking. The scallop is there for richness and a hit of golden sear, but the real story is the interplay between sweet honey-glazed roots, sharp pickled radish, smoky romesco, and a herb oil so green it practically glows. It's the kind of appetiser that makes vegetable cooking feel exciting and generous — not like something you eat before the real food arrives, but something that makes you reconsider the hierarchy entirely.

How to cook

Start with the components that need time — the herb oil, romesco, and pickled radishes can all be made ahead and will only improve while they sit.

For the herb oil, bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil. Blanch the parsley (30g), basil (15g), and chives (10g) for just 10 seconds — you're setting the colour, not cooking them. Immediately shock them in ice water to lock in that electric green. Squeeze the herbs bone-dry in a clean kitchen towel — any water left will dull the colour and thin the oil. Drop them into a blender with the olive oil (100ml), lemon juice (1 tablespoon), and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until completely smooth and uniformly green, scraping down as needed. Strain through a fine sieve for a clean, glossy oil. This keeps in the fridge for a day or two but the colour is at its most striking within a few hours of making it.

The romesco is the backbone of the plate. Drop the roasted red peppers (2), toasted almonds (30g), garlic (1 clove), sherry vinegar (1 tablespoon), and smoked paprika (1 teaspoon) into a blender or food processor. Pulse until you have a rough purée with some texture — romesco should never be baby-food smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil (60ml) to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper, then taste aggressively. It should be smoky from the paprika, nutty from the almonds, and bright from the vinegar. If it tastes flat, add a touch more vinegar. If it's too sharp, another small drizzle of oil will round it out. Romesco is a Catalan sauce traditionally made with nyora peppers, but good jarred roasted red peppers with quality smoked paprika get you most of the way there without the scavenger hunt. Set it aside at room temperature — cold romesco tastes muted.

For the pickled radishes, combine the rice vinegar (60ml), sugar (1 tablespoon), and salt (½ teaspoon) and stir until dissolved. Slice the radishes (4) paper-thin on a mandoline — consistency matters here because thick slices won't pickle properly in the time you have. Submerge the slices in the pickling liquid and let them sit for at least 20 minutes. They'll soften slightly and turn a gorgeous hot pink as the acid draws out their pigment. These provide the sharp, crunchy counterpoint that keeps the sweet glazed vegetables honest.

Now the glazed vegetables — the centrepiece. Lay the parsnips (2, quartered lengthways), turnip wedges (2), and baby carrots (8) in a wide sauté pan in a single layer. It's important they fit without stacking so they glaze evenly rather than stew. Add the butter (2 tablespoons), honey (1 tablespoon), stock (150ml), and a generous pinch of salt. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover the pan, and let the vegetables cook for 10-12 minutes. Check them at 10 — a knife should slide in with just a hint of resistance at the core. You want tender, not soft, because they'll cook a little more during the glazing step. Once they're there, remove the lid and raise the heat to medium-high. As the liquid reduces, it will transform from a thin broth into a glossy, amber glaze — this takes about 3-4 minutes and happens fast at the end, so stay close. Gently roll the vegetables in the glaze to coat them on all sides. They should look lacquered and glossy, sweet-smelling and just caramelised at the edges. Set them aside in the pan — they'll stay warm for a few minutes.

The cavolo nero needs barely any time. Strip the leaves (4) from their tough central stems and tear them into large, dramatic pieces. Heat the olive oil (1 tablespoon) in a skillet over medium-high heat and lay the leaves in. Let them cook for about a minute per side — you want them wilted and pliable but with charred, crispy edges that add texture and a slight bitterness to the plate. Season with a pinch of salt. Don't overcook these — limp, dark kale adds nothing. You want some life left in them.

Save the scallops for last — they take 3 minutes and their window of perfection is narrow. Pat each scallop (4) aggressively dry with kitchen paper. This is the single most important step for a good sear. Any surface moisture will steam instead of caramelise, giving you a pale, rubbery scallop instead of a golden, crusty one. Season one flat side with flaky salt. Heat the neutral oil (1 tablespoon) in a skillet over high heat until you see the first wisp of smoke. Place each scallop salt-side down and do not touch them for a full 90 seconds. Listen for the sizzle — if it's quiet, your pan wasn't hot enough. After 90 seconds, the underside should be a deep, even gold. Flip and cook for just 60 seconds more. The centre should still be barely warm and translucent — this is the sweet spot where a scallop is at its most tender and sweet. If you cook them all the way through, they tighten into something that bounces back when you press it, and the delicate sweetness disappears. Rest them briefly on a warm plate.

Bonus points

• Romesco with fresh peppers: Roast 2 red capsicums directly over a gas flame or under a grill until completely blackened, steam in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then peel. The depth of flavour from freshly charred peppers is noticeably better than jarred.
• Hazelnut romesco: Swap the almonds for the same weight of toasted hazelnuts. The flavour is richer and more autumnal — especially good if you're serving this in cooler months.
• Scallop coral crisp: If your scallops come with the coral, separate it, pat dry, and slice thinly. Fry the slices in a little oil at 180°C until golden and crispy — about 30 seconds. Crumble over the finished plate for a savoury, crunchy garnish and a zero-waste flourish.
• Charred spring onion: Halve 4 spring onions lengthways and char them cut-side down in a dry skillet until deeply blackened, about 3 minutes. Lay them across the plate for a smoky, sweet element that echoes the romesco.
• Shaved raw vegetables: Add paper-thin ribbons of raw fennel or watermelon radish dressed in lemon juice and olive oil on top of the composed plate. The raw crunch against the soft glazed vegetables and creamy scallop adds another layer of texture.

Serving

Use wide, shallow bowls for this — the plate needs room to breathe. Spoon a tablespoon of romesco slightly off-centre and use the back of the spoon to create a casual swoosh. Arrange the glazed vegetables and charred cavolo nero over and around the romesco — build some height and lean pieces against each other rather than laying everything flat. Set a single scallop on top of the vegetables, seared-side up so that golden crust is the first thing the eye hits. Drain the pickled radishes and tuck them between the vegetables in bright pink clusters — they're the visual pop that makes the plate feel alive. Drizzle the herb oil around and over the vegetables, letting it pool in the bowl and streak across the romesco. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt on the scallop.

Serve immediately. This dish is about contrasts — warm and cold, sweet and sharp, creamy and crunchy — and those contrasts flatten as it sits.

For wine, a dry rosé from Provence works beautifully — something like a Domaines Ott or Château d'Esclans Whispering Angel has the weight to match the romesco without overpowering the vegetables. If you want white, a Verdejo from Rueda has the herbaceous quality to echo the herb oil. For a non-alcoholic option, a sparkling elderflower tonic with a squeeze of lemon mirrors the floral, bright character of the plate.