Scallop-Crab Motoyaki: Diver Sea Scallop, Crab with Ponzu Aïoli and Pimento Foam

Ponzu Sauce ***

2 oranges

1 grapefruit

1 lemon

1 lime

4 cups soy sauce

1 ½ cups mirin

1 ½ cups rice wine vinegar

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons yuzu juice

Ponzu Aïoli ***

5 egg yolks

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons togarashi

36 ounces grapeseed oil

3 cups Pecorino Romano cheese, shredded

Scallop-Crab Motoyaki

16 U-20 sushi-grade scallops, cut into bite-size quarters

Salt

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

12 scallop shells, 4 to 5 inches in diameter

2 ounces jumbo lump crab meat

To Assemble and Serve

½ ounce red pepper brunoise

½ ounce finely chopped fresh chives

1 cup kosher salt, mixed with ½ cup water

METHOD:

For the Ponzu Sauce: ***
Juice 1 orange and half of a grapefruit, lemon, and lime. Combine the citrus juices and set aside. Whisk the soy sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and sugar together with the reserved juices and the yuzu juice. Slice the remaining fruit, add it to the soy sauce mixture, and marinate 8 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. The next day, strain the Ponzu Sauce through a fine-meshed strainer and reserve. Set some aside for plating.

For the Ponzu Aïoli:***
Combine the egg yolks, mustard, and ¼ cup of Ponzu Sauce in a food processor with garlic, salt, sugar and togarashi. With the processor on, add half of the oil slowly. Add half the Pecorino Romano and ¾ cup of Ponzu Sauce. Slowly emulsify the remaining half of the oil. Add the remaining half of the Pecorino Romano and mix until smooth and thick.

For the Scallop-Crab Motoyaki:
Preheat a convection oven on high fan speed to 425ºF. Season the scallops lightly with salt. Heat a large sauté pan until extremely hot, and add the oil. Lightly sear the scallops for no more than 20 seconds. Cool immediately. Combine more salt in a bowl with a few drops of water to form a stiff sand-textured salt mixture. Put the scallop shells on a sheet pan, with each shell on a small mound of salt mixture so the shells stay upright. Distribute the scallops and crab meat evenly between the shells. Separate the lump crab pieces very slightly. Using a squeeze bottle, squeeze about ⅛ ounce of Ponzu Sauce over the scallops and crab evenly in each shell. Squeeze about 1 ounce of Ponzu Aïoli on the scallops and spread evenly with a small offset spatula, being sure to completely cover the scallops and crab. Add a touch more if necessary. Torch the Aïoli until golden brown, and put the scallops into the oven. Bake for 7 minutes. Using small tongs, drain any excess oil or liquid from each shell by tilting slightly. Be careful not to tip too far as to distort the contents of the shell.

To Assemble and Serve:
While the scallops are still on the sheet pan, garnish the shells with a sprinkle of peppers and chives. Present on a plate on a small mound of wet salt and serve within 5 minutes. Small spoons are recommended.

For the Pimento Foam

place pimento in a small bowl and blend with 1/2 part water using a stick blender.  Add 1 packet Soy Lecithin and mix with stick blender.  Once blended position the bowl and stick blender so the blender is taking in a good amount of air...you want to produce bubbles while blending.  Because the Soy Lecithin was added the Foam produced will have some staying power.  Once some "foam" has been produced lift it out with a spoon and place on your dish (they should be good for around 30 minutes.  If you need more foam, just return to the bowl and blend some more up repeating the process. 

 *** it has been suggested to halve the recipe for both the Ponzu and the Aoili, by gracoman.  I also noticed that both of these portions were way too large when I cooked this recipe.  You can probably halve it and still have some left over. ***

My pictures are below...