I know this amazingly quaint restaurant called Fleur’s Place in Moeraki which is a small fishing village on the South Island of New Zealand, about an hour north of Dunedin. It’s the most eclectic little seafood place that looks like an old fishing shed with an amazing gourmet menu of creative and unusual local dishes comprising entirely of locally grown produce and locally acquired seafood and meats. Everything – all the seafood, vegetables, herbs, dairy products, you name it… it all comes from local producers. I have had lunch there a couple of times now and have met Fleur, the restaurateur, who was a lovely lady that was amazed we had once driven four hours to come have lunch at her restaurant only to find it closed!

Anyway, the last time I was there I had an absolutely divine scallop dish which was so good I had to buy her recipe book so I could have a go at making it at home (which we duly did, but it didn’t turn out anywhere near as nice as theirs!). Here’s the recipe –

Aotearoa Scallops with Pernod Sauce

Ingredients:

24 Nelson scallops

1 onion, finally chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

50g butter

200 g belly bacon, cut into lardoons

6 button mushrooms

100ml Pernod

200ml cream

Method:

Ensure scallops are clean. Remove sinews and pat dry

In a large frying pan, soften the onion and garlic in the butter.

Add bacon lardoons and mushrooms, cook for 2-3 mins

Transfer vegetables and bacon to separate bowl

Heat pan again and add scallops to cover base of frying pan

Cook 2 mins on one side, turn and add vegetables and bacon back in

Deglaze pan by adding Pernod and allowing to flame

Add cream, cook for a further 2mins and then serve

If you’re ever in Dunedin, make sure you go for a drive and check out the Moeraki Boulders and do yourself a favour by stopping by the tiny fishing village of Moeraki and having a meal at Fleur’s Place… no matter how far out of your way it is, you won’t regret it!