6 large hand dived scallops cleaned and ready to cook, lower shells reserved
75g of soft unsalted butter
2 Tbls of olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Tsp of chilli flakes
2 Tsp of fennel seeds
A small bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Combine the soft butter with the oil, lemon zest, chilli flakes, fennel seeds, garlic and chopped parsley and season lightly with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Open the scallops. Reserve the lower part of the shell. Place a scallop in each half shell and spoon a generous amount of butter over each one.
Level out the hot embers of the fire or barbeque with a stick or poker. They need to be nice and hot to cook the scallops.
Using a pair of tongs set the shells down onto the glowing embers of the fire. They will heat up quickly and the butter will start to sizzle. The scallops will literally fry in their own shell. After a minute or so of sizzling flip the scallops over with out disturbing their butter laden shells. Cook for a further minute or 2 then remove each shell extremely carefully using the tongs again.
If at any point you think the butter is burning before the scallop is cooked, rearrange the shell in a less hot part of the fire.
Set the scallops down on plates and tuck in, but remember the shells will be hot.