Scallop and celeriac recipe: Tommy Banks' Yorkshire starter

This scallop and celeriac recipe reworks a signature starter from Tommy Banks' Roots in Yorkshire, where root vegetables and a sharp vinegar glaze do the work that acid usually does in a scallop dish.

Banks built his reputation at Roots on cooking that leans on what grows within a short drive of the restaurant, and celeriac is one of the vegetables he returns to each autumn. Here it becomes a velouté rich enough to carry the scallops, while malt vinegar, reduced to a glaze, cuts through the cream and butter.

Ingredients

A sharper, more savoury acid that holds up against the celeriac's sweetness rather than just brightening it.

• 12 king scallops, roe removed
• 1 large celeriac, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 500 ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 100 ml double cream
• 60 g butter, plus extra for searing
• 80 g pancetta, diced
• 100 ml malt vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• Sea salt

Method

1. Sweat the onion and garlic in a little of the butter over low heat without colouring, then add the celeriac and cook for 5 minutes; this softens it evenly before it meets the stock.
2. Pour in the stock and simmer for 20 minutes, until the celeriac is fully tender and breaks apart easily.
3. Blend the celeriac mixture until silky, then stir in the cream and 30g of the butter; season with salt. A high-speed blend here is what gives the velouté its texture, so don't rush it.
4. Fry the pancetta in a dry pan from cold, letting the fat render slowly until crisp, then drain on paper; starting cold stops it seizing before the fat has melted out.
5. Simmer the malt vinegar with the honey until reduced by half and syrupy enough to coat a spoon, then set aside to cool slightly, which thickens it further.
6. Pat the scallops completely dry and season lightly. Sear in hot oil for 90 seconds a side without moving them, adding the remaining butter at the end to baste; a dry scallop is what gives the crust its colour.
7. Spoon the warm velouté onto plates, top with the scallops, scatter over the pancetta and finish with a drizzle of the vinegar glaze.

Why vinegar, not citrus

Most scallop dishes lean on lemon or yuzu for acidity; Banks' version, in keeping with the kitchen's approach at Roots, uses malt vinegar instead, a sharper, more savoury acid that holds up against the celeriac's sweetness rather than just brightening it.

The same technique works with other root vegetables in place of celeriac, among them the parsnip purées served at Swinton Estate's Chef's Table, another Yorkshire kitchen built around what's dug from nearby ground.

Can the velouté be made ahead? Yes, up to a day in advance; reheat it gently and thin with a splash of stock if it has thickened in the fridge.