Don't Throw Away Seafood Roe: Turn Them Into a Premium Spread – Method

Apart from its impressive shores and dramatic coastline, Jersey features a exceptional food tradition, deeply grounded in both land and sea. Starting with internationally renowned local new potatoes to scallops sweeter and softer than any found elsewhere, the island's bounty is unsurpassed. What excites me most, though, is the way local producers and producers are adopting regenerative farming, while in doing so reinventing the island's food future with creativity and care.

Last month, I was fortunate to lead a talk at an inspiring event, and cook a welcoming meal for the speakers, alongside a inspiring founder. Naturally, scallops had to be on the spread, since they're the island at their finest: subtle, plump and bursting of the ocean.

These mollusks appear as the ultimate symbol of Jersey's culinary evolution: sweet, full and regenerative by design, filtering and cleaning the sea while contributing to create coastal habitats. Both farmed and, crucially, hand-harvested, they are one of the most sustainable seafood options we can eat. Yet many, who were raised on Jersey, do not eat their eggs – a common affliction, unfortunately. All the more reason to champion those rosy morsels, that are much too delicious to discard. Blended into butter, they become sheer indulgence: drizzle over the shellfish, stir into risotto or just slather on warm bread.

Scallops can be a bit expensive, though, so I have devised this method to turn a single scallop into a stunning starter (or three into a satisfying main course) and, by whipping their roe into smoked spice spread and roasting them in their shells with cherry tomatoes and garlic, potential waste becomes a luxury.

That same ethos of reinvention is at the heart of the movement, that has launched a prize providing support to innovators with brand support, guidance and entry to a marketplace. Judged by some of esteemed food heroes, the award will be presented at an forthcoming conference. This is about supporting concepts that will help the food systems thrive, across the board, and I can't think of an inspiring location for that conversation to begin than here.

Scallops Baked in Roe Butter with Cherry Tomatoes and Crushed Garlic

Yields 6 as a appetizer or 2 as a main

Six with eggs shellfish in the half-shell
Eighteen small tomatoes, cut in half
Six garlic cloves, smashed
Three fresh red chillies (such as jalapeño), halved lengthwise, or one dash chilli flakes, or to preference (optional)
50g unsalted butter
1 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
Salt and pepper, to liking
Lemon slices, to serve
A little samphire, saltwort or 6 small gherkin slices, to garnish (optional)

Prepare the shellfish, detaching the eggs from each and leaving the rest of the scallop fixed to the shell (request your seafood supplier to do this for you, if need be). Place 6 halved tomatoes in every half-shell with a clove's worth of smashed garlic cloves and one half a chili pepper, if added.

Put the scallop roes in a container of a hand blender (I find this is the most effective tool for blending tiny quantities), add the spread and paprika, and blend until creamy. Divide the butter between the shells, making sure each shellfish is well covered in the butter.

Heat the broiler until it is very hot, then place the scallops under the flame for 6-8 minutes, until charred and sizzling. Serve immediately, garnished with if desired samphire, agretti, a piece of gherkin and/or a splash of the gherkin brine or some lemon juice.