Scallop tortellini
Place the scallops, blue eye mousse and chopped chives in a large bowl and gently mix together. Season very lightly with salt and pepper and place in the coldest part of your refrigerator to chill.

Use a pasta maker to roll the dough out to the thinnest setting. Lay the pasta out on a floured work surface and cut out 18 circles with a 9 cm (4 in) cookie cutter. Place a tablespoon of the chilled scallop mix in the centre of each pasta disc. Brush lightly around one half of each tortellini with a little egg wash, then fold over to form a half-moon. Use your fingers to pinch the dough together and seal. Twist the 2 corners in until they touch and pinch them together using a little more egg wash. Repeat to make a total of 18 tortellini then return them to the refrigerator or freezer for about 5 minutes, just until the pasta begins to firm.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the chilled tortellini, a few at a time, until they float to the surface, around 2–3 minutes. Remove the tortellini carefully and refresh in iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and refrigerate on a plastic wrap lined tray until needed.

Crispy leek and herb salad
In a medium-sized cooking pot heat the vegetable oil to 180ºC (350ºF). Fry the julienned leeks until golden brown, remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper. Reserve until needed. In a separate bowl, gently mix together the herbs.

Verjuice and citrus butter sauce
Put the verjuice into a small non-reactive saucepan with the four citrus peels and bring to a gentle simmer. Reserve the lime juice until later. Cook for 5–10 minutes, until nearly completely reduced. Add the cream, return to a simmer and reduce by half again. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the chilled butter, a few cubes at a time, until it is all thoroughly incorporated. Strain into a clean pan and add the lime juice, chopped chives and salmon eggs. (The salmon eggs should only be added if you are going to serve straight away. Otherwise, keep the sauce warm until needed, and add the salmon eggs at the last minute).

To serve
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Place the tortellini in a lightly greased bamboo steamer basket. Cook in small batches, making sure they don’t touch, or they will stick together. Cover with the lid and steam for 2–3 minutes, or until they are hot in the centre.

In a mixing bowl, gently combine the crispy leeks and fresh herbs, then place a little mound of this salad in the centre of each plate. Arrange 3 tortellini around the salad and drizzle with the butter sauce.

Note: The secret to making a butter sauce is in the temperature. If it is allowed to cool too much the sauce will set, but if it is too hot the sauce may split.


Recipe from Contemporary Australian Food by Teage Ezard with photographs by Ned Meldrum. Published by Hardie Grant Books.