Cyrus Todiwala’s Rissois of Scallops with Whisky Mayonnaise Dressing

Rissois are small Portuguese pastries filled with savoury ingredients. Here top chef Cyrus Todiwala of award winning Café Spice Namaste has filled them with scallops and created a sensational whisky mayonnaise dressing.

Ingredients

  • 12–14 scallops, shucked and washed, with coral removed and retained.
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 2–3 spring onions, each slit into 4 lengthways and finely chopped
  • 2 think green chilies, finely chopped
  • 2–3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons of Balvenie Double Wood, 12-year-old whisky
  • 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 generous tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped, stalks retained for the dressing
  • Juice of half a lime–or to taste
  • 150ml fresh double cream (but you may need a bit more if the flour demands it when cooking)
  • 1 tablespoon oil plus oil for deep frying
  • 2 eggs, separated (yolks for the scallops, whites for the dressing)
  • 15-20 spring roll wrappers
For dipping:
  • 2-3 eggs, beaten
  • Plain flour
  • Breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Oil for frying
For the mayonnaise:
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon English mustard
  • 1 heaped teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Balvene whisky
  • 1 long green chilli, roughly chopped
  • 5–6 fresh coriander stalks (or those left over from the garnish), roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 450–500 ml sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

Method

Dice the scallops into 1cm squares, place in a bowl, drizzle with lime juice and mix. Refrigerate until the other components are cooked and ready.

Soften the butter, place it on the chopping board and spread it a little.

In the butter place the saved scallop corals and cumin seeds. With your knife simply fold and chop.

Continue chopping until the coral is virtually reduced to a paste. Put this into a frying pan over a medium heat gently to allow the butter to melt.

When the butter froths sauté for a minute or so and add the chopped onions, the green chillies, garlic and ginger and continue to sauté until the garlic turns pale.

Add the whisky and reduce so the alcohol evaporates.

When the onions turn soft remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Mix and return the pan to the heat and cook for a minute or two. Move away from the heat again and mix in the cream and egg yolks. Return to the heat until the mixture is combined and the sauce thickened.

Season, add the fresh chopped coriander and lime juice, stir well and cool.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add the oil. When it is smoking add the diced scallops.

Do not agitate straight away but wait for a few seconds and then toss the diced scallops. Do this a couple of times and blend into the mixture.

Stir well and check seasoning. Mix in the freshly chopped coriander and remove.

To make the rissois: place equal proportions of the scallop mixture in the centres of one end of the spring roll wrappers, leaving a couple of centimetres each side.

Apply beaten egg yolk around the edges then fold them inwards and roll up like a spring roll.

Dip each in flour, then egg then breadcrumbs. Make sure you cover every bit of the pastry.

Fry the rissois in oil heated to 170º-180C, until golden brown, turning so they are evenly browned.

To make the mayonnaise dressing: add the egg whites, sugar, salt, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice to a blender and whizz it for approximately thirty seconds.

Start adding the oil by opening the bung on the lid and pouring it in a steady stream until half the oil is added. Do not stop the machine.

Add the green chili, the coriander stalks, the ketchup and the whisky and continue pouring the oil. Stop when the coriander and chili are puréed and taste.

Add the crushed peppercorn and cleaning the edges down start again until the oil is all used up.

When the mixture resembles a mayonnaise consistency it is ready to serve as a dip alongside the rissois.

Ingredients

  • 12–14 scallops, shucked and washed, with coral removed and retained.
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 2–3 spring onions, each slit into 4 lengthways and finely chopped
  • 2 think green chilies, finely chopped
  • 2–3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons of Balvenie Double Wood, 12-year-old whisky
  • 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 generous tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped, stalks retained for the dressing
  • Juice of half a lime–or to taste
  • 150ml fresh double cream (but you may need a bit more if the flour demands it when cooking)
  • 1 tablespoon oil plus oil for deep frying
  • 2 eggs, separated (yolks for the scallops, whites for the dressing)
  • 15-20 spring roll wrappers
For dipping:
  • 2-3 eggs, beaten
  • Plain flour
  • Breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Oil for frying
For the mayonnaise:
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tablespoon English mustard
  • 1 heaped teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Balvene whisky
  • 1 long green chilli, roughly chopped
  • 5–6 fresh coriander stalks (or those left over from the garnish), roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 450–500 ml sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

Method

Dice the scallops into 1cm squares, place in a bowl, drizzle with lime juice and mix. Refrigerate until the other components are cooked and ready.

Soften the butter, place it on the chopping board and spread it a little.

In the butter place the saved scallop corals and cumin seeds. With your knife simply fold and chop.

Continue chopping until the coral is virtually reduced to a paste. Put this into a frying pan over a medium heat gently to allow the butter to melt.

When the butter froths sauté for a minute or so and add the chopped onions, the green chillies, garlic and ginger and continue to sauté until the garlic turns pale.

Add the whisky and reduce so the alcohol evaporates.

When the onions turn soft remove the pan from the heat and add the flour. Mix and return the pan to the heat and cook for a minute or two. Move away from the heat again and mix in the cream and egg yolks. Return to the heat until the mixture is combined and the sauce thickened.

Season, add the fresh chopped coriander and lime juice, stir well and cool.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add the oil. When it is smoking add the diced scallops.

Do not agitate straight away but wait for a few seconds and then toss the diced scallops. Do this a couple of times and blend into the mixture.

Stir well and check seasoning. Mix in the freshly chopped coriander and remove.

To make the rissois: place equal proportions of the scallop mixture in the centres of one end of the spring roll wrappers, leaving a couple of centimetres each side.

Apply beaten egg yolk around the edges then fold them inwards and roll up like a spring roll.

Dip each in flour, then egg then breadcrumbs. Make sure you cover every bit of the pastry.

Fry the rissois in oil heated to 170º-180C, until golden brown, turning so they are evenly browned.

To make the mayonnaise dressing: add the egg whites, sugar, salt, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice to a blender and whizz it for approximately thirty seconds.

Start adding the oil by opening the bung on the lid and pouring it in a steady stream until half the oil is added. Do not stop the machine.

Add the green chili, the coriander stalks, the ketchup and the whisky and continue pouring the oil. Stop when the coriander and chili are puréed and taste.

Add the crushed peppercorn and cleaning the edges down start again until the oil is all used up.

When the mixture resembles a mayonnaise consistency it is ready to serve as a dip alongside the rissois.