Recipe: Anchoiade and Coquilles St Jacques (scallops)

Using a knife, draw a cross on each tomato bottom. Boil some water and scald the tomatoes for several seconds. Next quickly plunge the tomatoes into ice cold water and proceed to peel them.

Cut the tomato tops and carefully scoop out the flesh from inside. Using a knife, cut a small slice at the bottom of each tomato in order to enable each of them to stand upright.

For the anchoyade: blend the anchovies and the garlic cloves (degermed and peeled).

Put the anchovy paste in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and whisk everything together with 20 cl of olive oil in order to make a mayonnaise. Add the chopped capers and the tomato flesh.

Set aside in the refrigerator.

During this time, put some fine salt inside each hollow tomato and place them upside down on a grill for ½ an hour so that they lose their water.

In a small dish, cut your scallops in 2 along the width. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and cover them with 5 cl of the remaining olive oil. Add the lemon juice and leave to marinate for ½ an hour.

Wash the lamb's lettuce properly at least two times, manually leaving any dirt on the bottom of the washing container. Dry the lettuce carefully using a cloth napkin.

Put some anchoyade inside each tomato and then add a scallop slice in each of them.

Season your lamb's lettuce with the scallop marinade and season to taste.

Composition: the salad should be placed in the middle of a nice individual plate (season the salad only at the last minute). Delicately place the scallop halves on top of the salad, put a tomato on each end and decorate with surrounding droplets of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle chives over the composition in a decorative way.

This first course can be served on a festive occasion. It will lightly waken your taste buds, enabling you to enjoy a stronger main course.