Saveur - April-May 2017

68 SAVEUR.COM

Herlihy. Her backyard looked out over

the choppy Atlantic, and in the dis-

tance was Skellig island, where Star

Wa r s was filmed. She served local fish

and local cheeses, and someone had

brought a couple of bottles of superb

gin from the Dingle distillery a mile up the road and flavored
with local botanicals, rowanberries, fuchsia, hawthorn, and
heather. Herlihy, an American, is perhaps the purest expres-

sion of the type of person you’ll meet in Dingle.
In 1974, traveling with her friend after college, Eurail

passes in hand, she planned on spending four weeks on the
continent, and two in Ireland. After four weeks on the con-
tinent, she arrived in Dingle and stood on the broad expanse

of Inch Beach, her breath taken. She called her parents from
the town’s single phone booth to tell them she wasn’t com-

ing home. Here she would stay. And so she did, working at a
local pub for six pounds (and one bath) a week, free room and
board, and all the Guinness she could drink.

I’M THE TYPE OF PERSON who travels to a town
I’m curious about and then never feels the slightest incli-
nation to go back. Too many places to see in one short life.

But Dingle changed that. I’m already planning to return
next summer. Why do I feel this way? I’ve been wondering.

Perhaps because, like filmmakers and chefs and poets before
me have found, Dingle and this peninsula, w ith its deep his-
tory, awe-inspiring vistas of mountains and sea, its food and

generosity and powerful spirit, has the power to transform. 

SEARED BAY

SCALLOPS WITH

PEA PURÉE

AND RADISHES

SERVES 4; Photo pg. 64

Total: 20 min.

At Global Villa ge, Mar tin B ea-

lin and Nuala Cassidy pair

local scallops with wild boar

belly. In this simplified version,

they use pan - seared slices of

chorizo for crispy, spicy con-

trast to the sweet seafood and

peas. They garnish the dish

with sea sonal vegetables like

radishes and greens, or some-

times apples or cucumbers,

from the restaurant’s nearby

mountaintop garden.

2 cups frozen peas

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly

ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. canola

or vegetable oil

1½ oz. dried chorizo, cut in

12 slices

16 large bay scallops,

cleaned and patted dry

2 radishes, thinly sliced

Bitter greens, such as

arugula or frisée, for

garnish (optional)

1 In a medium saucepan over

medium-high heat, add the

peas, cream, 1 tablespoon but-

ter, and a pinch each salt and

pepper. Cook until bubbling

slightly, 5 minutes. Remove

from heat.

2 Transfer the mixture to a

blender or food processor and

purée until smooth. Trans-

fer back to the saucepan and

cover to keep warm.

3 In a small skillet, heat

2 teaspoons of canola oil over

medium-high heat. Add the

sliced chorizo and cook, turn-

ing occasionally, until crispy,

2–3 minutes total. Remove

from the heat.

4 Season the scallops lightly

with salt. In a 10-inch skillet,

heat 1 tablespoon canola oil

over medium-high heat. Once

the oil is hot, add the scallops

to the pan. Cook until golden

on one side, about 2 minutes.

Turn and cook until browned

on the remaining side, 1–2

minutes more. Add the

remaining tablespoon butter

and let melt. Remove from the

heat and let rest 2 minutes.

5 Divide the pea purée

between 4 plates. Distrib-

ute the scallops and chorizo

atop the purée. Garnish with

the radish slices and greens if

using, and serve.

BROILED OYSTERS

WITH SPINACH AND

BROWN BUTTER

HOLLANDAISE

MAKES 12; Photo pg. 67

Total: 40 min.

Instead of using clarified but-

ter in his hollandaise, as is

traditional, Global Village chef

Martin Bealin browns but-

ter, rendering it nut t y in flavor.

Choose briny—not creamy—

oysters (ask your fishmonger),

and be sure to make the

mignonette: The salinity of the

oysters in combination with

the pungent shallots and vine-

gar are a welcome contrast to

the richness of the hollandaise.

For the hollandaise:

6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted

butter, cubed

1 Tbsp. white wine

vinegar

¼ tsp. kosher salt

2 large egg yolks

For the mignonette:

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced shallot

(from about ½ medium

shallot)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black

pepper

For the oysters:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

(½ oz.)

2 cups baby spinach

12 medium-large oysters

Kevin Murphy, of Idás
restaurant in Dingle,
forages for samphire
along the jagged
cliffs of the peninsula’s
western coast.