On this weekend's season finale of "Uncharted" on Nat Geo, master chef Gordon Ramsay travels to Norway to learn about the cuisine of the country's western region and its Viking roots. Ramsay's guide is chef Christopher Haatuft, who has risen to prominence as the inventor of "Neo-Fjordic" cuisine. It is December, and Haatuft challenges Ramsay to an epic Christmas dinner cook-off, which includes delicious hand-dived sea scallops.
But before he can pick up his chef's knife, Ramsay must set off on a quest to meet with local experts to learn the story behind the plate. That includes diving for shellfish in the ice-cold waters of the fjords, eating a sheep's head, fermenting fish and herding reindeer with the Sami people on a snowmobile.
Watch an exclusive clip below, and tune in Sunday, July 19, at 10/9 CT to watch:
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Shaped by its 63,000-mile coastline, its long winters and brief summers, and the forests that cover a third of its surface, Norway has boasted cuisine that has traditionally focused on preservation techniques — like salting, smoking, drying and fermenting — to make fresh food last longer. The salty-sweet seared, hand-dived sea scallops, paired with a pickled shallots and a seaweed beurre blanc, highlight the wealth of Norway's seafood options.
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Recipe: Gordon Ramsay's Hand-Dived Sea Scallops
with Aquavit and Seaweed Butter Beurre Blanc and Pickled Shallots
Yields: 4 servings of 3
For Seaweed Butter
- 2 piece of kobmu seaweed
- 1 lb softened butter
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For Beurre Blanc
- 1 tsp grapseed oil
- 2 shallots, diced very finelt
- 1/2 cup aquavit
- 8 oz. seaweed butter, cut into cubes and kept very cold
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For Pickled Shallots
- 4 shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup champagne vinegar
- 4 juniper berries, toasted
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
For Scallops
- 12 hand-dived sea scallops (reserve shells for plating)
- 1 tbsp grapseed oil
- 1 pink ground pink peppercorns
- 1 tsp fresh dill leaves
- kosher salt, to taste
Method—Seaweed Butter
1. To rehydrate kombu, place it in hot water; let it sit for 10-15 minutes until seaweed is fully rehydrated.
2. Cut seaweed into a very fine dice.
3. Combine seaweed and butter in a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Wrap mixture in parchment paper or plastic wrap and roll into a cylinder.
5. Place mixture in refrigerator until firm.
Method—Beurre Blanc
1. In a shallot sauce pot, sauté shallots in grapseed oil until translucent, then season with a pinch of salt.
2. Add aquavit and cook for 1-2 minutes, just until liquor has started to reduce.
3. Over low heat, slowly add the cold cubed butter a few pieces at a time, constantly swirling the pan to ensure the sauce doesn't get too hot and break.
4. Once all butter has been incorporated, season mixture with pepper, lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice.
5. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Method—Pickled Shallots
1. Place sliced shallots in a bowl.
2. Combine all other ingredients in a sauce pot and bring to a boil.
3. Pour this pickling liquid over the shallots and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Let shallots sit for 20 minutes.
5. Remove plastic wrap and place shallots in refrigerator to cool.
Method—Scallops
1. In a very hot sauté pan, add grapseed oil and sear scallops until golden brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Season with salt to taste.
3. Place seared scallops inside scallop shells.
4. Spoon over seasweed beurre blanc.
5. Garnish with pink peppercorns, pickled shallots and dill.
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