Februray 2018 – Scallops Baked in their Shells with Mace

From page 392 of The New Enlglish Table.

These look wonderful, wrapped up like a present as they come out of the oven, but smell even better when they are opened and a stream of mace-scented steam touches the tip of your nose.

Serves 4

8 large, fresh scallops
4 scallop shells (both parts)
2cm piece fresh ginger, crushed and then chopped
55g butter
½ lemon
4 small pieces of mace blade, or 4 pinches of ground mace

Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/Gas Mark 9. Put 2 scallops in each shell and divide the ginger between them. Put a quarter of the butter in each, plus a squeeze of lemon. Add a mace blade to each, or a pinch of ground mace, then put the flat shell on top. Place each shell on a large square of baking parchment, bring it up round the shell and twist tightly at the top to seal the contents. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

To serve, put a scallop shell on each plate and let everyone unwrap their own and get the first whiff of the heady ginger-butter-mace effect.