Chefs' specials

Majestic queen of the seas

This recipe comes from Mark Broadbent at the Oak, Westbourne Park Road, London. If you can't find tinkerbell chillies use poblano chillies or any other large, mild chillies you can find.

Herb-crusted scallops with roasted tinkerbell chilli​

Serves 1

Ingredients for the scallops​55g/2oz fresh breadcrumbs 15g/1/2oz piquillo pepper - diced 1 lemon - squeeze juice, grate a pinch of zest 1 clove garlic - finely chopped Handful of flat-leaf parsley - shredded 30g/1oz nibbed almonds - ready skinned and sliced Extra-virgin olive oil 5 queen scallops in shell - cleaned and seasoned To serve​ Lemon wedges Salad leaves Extra-virgin olive oil Lemon juice

Method​Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/ gas mark 4. In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, piquillo pepper, pinch of lemon zest, chopped garlic, parsley and nibbed almonds. Moisten with olive oil. Cover the scallops in their shells with the mixture. Place the filled scallop shells on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then finish under a hot grill until golden brown. Serve the warm scallops with the roasted tinkerbell chilli (at room temperature), lemon wedges and some salad leaves dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Roasted tinkerbell chilli​1 tinkerbell chilli - cut in half through the stalk and deseeded 2 cherry vine tomatoes 1 clove garlic - halved 1 small leaf basil - torn in half Olive oil for drizzling

Method​ Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/ gas mark 4. Fill the tinkerbell chilli halves with tomatoes, garlic halves and basil. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in a roasting tin and roast for 1 hour in the preheated oven.

Where there's duck there's money​ This recipe comes from Billy Reid at the Three Tuns in Romsey, Hampshire. Leave yourself plenty of time for this dish as there is a long curing and cooking time.

Duck confit with French beans, rissole potatoes and haricot bean dressing​

Ingredients for the duck confit​ 4x255g/9oz duck legs 115g/4oz sea salt 1kg/2lb 3oz duck fat or lard For the haricot bean dressing 115g/4oz dried haricot beans 1 sprig thyme 425ml/15fl oz veal or chicken stock Sea salt 21/2 tbsp vinaigrette

For the rissole potatoes​ 12 small potatoesSea salt Small bunch each of thyme and rosemary 4 cloves garlic - halved 21/2 tbsp olive oil Fat - from the duck confit To serve​ Couple of handfuls of French beans, topped and tailed Knob of unsalted butter 4 sprigs chervil

Method​For the duck confit, dust the duck legs with the sea salt, put them on a plate, cover and leave for 8 to 10 hours, or overnight, in a cool place. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Wash the salt off the duck legs with cold water. Dry the meat. Melt the lard or duck fat in a heavybottomed pan, then submerge the duck legs in the fat. Cover with a lid, place in the oven and cook for 2 to 21/2 hours, until the meat is tender (it is ready if you can twist out the thigh bone easily).

Remove the duck legs from the fat and leave both fat and meat to cool. Once the fat is tepid, strain through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, bring up to the boil and skim. Cool again and re-strain. Put the duck's legs in a clean container, cover with the fat (ensuring there are no air holes), cover and refrigerate for up to three days. To make the haricot dressing, soak the beans in cold water for 8 hours, or overnight, then drain and rinse. Place the beans in a saucepan of water with the thyme, and boil until tender (about 2 hours). Drain. In the pan, bring the stock to the boil and reduce by half. Add the cooked beans and bring back to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and the vinaigrette. Remove from the heat.

To serve, remove the duck legs from the container and fry them in a non-stick pan until the fat turns crispy. Then heat through in the oven preheated to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the rissole potatoes. Boil the potatoes in water with all the other ingredients except the fat. Cool in the liquid. Halve the potatoes lengthways, and sauté, cut face down, using a little of the fat in which the duck was cooked. Cook the beans in boiling salted water for 11/2 minutes, drain, then add the butter. To serve, divide the hot potatoes between 4 large shallow bowls, put the confit on top, skin side up, then put the warm French beans on top of the confit. Spoon over the haricot bean dressing, garnish with chervil and serve.

Hang down your head John Dory​ This recipe comes from Nigel Burge at the Drewe Arms in Broadhembury, Devon.

John Dory with anchovies and capers​

Serves 4

Ingredients​ 1kg/2lb 3oz John Dory fillets Olive oil - for frying Unsalted butter - for frying 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley 200g/7oz butter 50g13/4oz French anchovies in brine, or cured anchovies in olive oil - soaked in a little milk and drained 50g/13/4oz capers - rinsed of salt or brine

Method​ In a large frying pan, heat a little olive oil and butter, then pan-fry the John Dory fillets, skin side up, until golden brown on the flesh side (about 2 to 3 minutes). Turn the fish over and fry on the other side until cooked through. Meanwhile, roughly chop the anchovies. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the anchovies and capers. Place the John Dory on warmed plates and pour over the anchovy and caper butter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.