Steamed Cantonese scallops with garlic sauce, glass noodles and pickled cucumbers

Prepare: overnight
Cook: 10 to 30 mins
Serve: Serves 2
Dietary: Dairy-free Egg-free Nut-free

Scallops stuffed with glass noodles, oyster sauce and garlic oil are steamed in the shell for a delicious Chinese-inspired feast.

By Justin Tsang

From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

For the cucumbers

3 small cucumbers, trimmed, cut in half lengthways and sliced into sticks
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp white sugar

For the pickling liquid

3 garlic cloves, smashed
2–3 Chinese dried chillies
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

For the scallops

90g/3¼oz glass noodles
6 fresh large scallops in the shell, cleaned, skirt removed and roe attached
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
100ml/3½fl oz vegetable oil
2 spring onions, sliced into thin strips and shocked in iced water
few fresh coriander leaves

For the garlic sauce

100ml/3½fl oz vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch salt
pinch sugar
1 red chilli, very finely chopped

For the soy and oyster sauce

6 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1½ tsp white sugar
1 bird’s-eye chilli, sliced

Method

To make the cucumbers, place the cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and sugar.
Toss with your hands until covered then leave for 1 hour to extract any moisture. Drain the excess liquid.
To make the pickling liquid, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
Pour onto the cucumbers and toss until combined. Leave to pickle for a few hours or ideally overnight.
To make the scallops, soak the glass noodles in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes. Once soaked, drain and use scissors to cut two or three times so the noodles are in smaller strips.
Detach the scallops from the shells and wash to remove sand and grit. Reserve the shells. Place the scallops in a small bowl and add the rice wine. Toss to coat then set aside.
To make the garlic sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium–high heat. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Add a third of the garlic to the pan and cook for around 1 minute. Add another third of the garlic and cook for a further 45 seconds. Turn the heat off and transfer to a bowl.
Add the final third of garlic and the salt and sugar. Mix to combine.
To make the soy and oyster sauce, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
To each scallop shell, add a small handful of glass noodles followed by a scallop.
Spoon over 1 teaspoon of the soy and oyster sauce onto the scallop then follow with a generous spoonful of the garlic sauce. Repeat for all remaining scallops.
Place the scallops on a plate and steam for 4–6 minutes, or until the scallops are cooked through.
Garnish with spring onion and coriander and serve with the pickled cucumbers.