Black Pudding has been made for centuries in the UK. In the history books I have found records of black puddings, made in the late autumn (fall), that were made with porpoise, oatmeal and blood. Very much a delicacy to be consumed by the wealthy during feasts.
Thankfully, black pudding no longer contains porpoise but they are still made with oats, fat and fresh pigs blood. Good black pudding is great for breakfast or as a garnish for other dishes. For this dish we took local corn (which is at its peak here in New England at the moment) and day boat scallops.
Lightly season thin slices of black pudding, gently heat to render some of the fat, then increase the heat and cook on both sides until crispy. Once done remove from the pan and set on kitchen towel (a.k.a. paper towel). Keep the rendered fat for cooking the scallops.
We had a white and a yellow corn. Remove the kernels from the cob.
Sauté in a hot pan with a splash of oil. Season with salt & pepper.
Save a few of the kernels to garnish, then place the remainder in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. If you are using an older corn then you may need to add a splash of water- our corn was so juicy that this was not necessary.
Season the scallops on both sides, then sear in a very hot pan with a little grape seed oil.
Once browned on one side, flip and then add a knob of butter.
Baste with the foaming butter.
Place a bed of the corn puree on the plate.
Add the crispy black pudding, some corn, parsley and some ribbons of mint. We had this for lunch and it can be done in under 20 minutes. What is more, we made the whole dish using just one pan, a chopping board, chef’s knife and a blender…… happy days!
