Scallop sashimi with spiced oil and ponzu sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 12 scallop(s), without coral
• 4 pinch(s) salt, (fleur de sel)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 stalk(s) lemongrass, separated into several parts
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 10 grains of pepper, Szechuan
• 1 star anise
• ½ stalk(s) cinnamon
• 1 pinch of saffron powder
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, Japanese
• 1 ½ tbsp sake, or alternatively dry sherry
• 1 ½ tbsp Mirin, or alternatively sweet sherry
• 1 tbsp orange juice, fresh
• ½ tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp cornstarch
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

appetizer

Wash the scallops in cold water, dry them, cut them into thin slices, and arrange them side by side, slightly overlapping, in a semicircle on plates. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and place in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Heat the olive oil, add all the spices, let it steep for 10 minutes at a moderate temperature, and then strain. For the ponzu sauce, bring the sake and mirin to a boil briefly, then let it cool completely. Mix with all the other ingredients and set aside while cold. Now pour the hot oil over the very cold scallops, using 1 tablespoon per serving. After a few seconds, add the ponzu sauce, using 1.5 tablespoons per serving, and serve immediately.