Scallops are all the rage at the moment, for us anyway, My daughter has just bought a farmhouse at Orient, on the north tail of Long Island, that lists a scallop hut among its features. Talking to American neighbours on the bus home from town produced this excellent recipe.They acknowledged Nigella Lawson.. I already know her similar recipe for lightly floured scallops with bacon and sherry which she judges to have ‘the right balance between nursery comfort and dining-room elegance’.

Scallops with Chorizo:

125g chorizo thinly sliced

500g scallops

Juice of ½ lemon

Finely chopped parsley

In a hot frying pan,dry fry the chorizo slices for about two minutes until crisp on both sides. Using a slotted slice, remove them  from the pan but retain the fat. Fry the scallops in this fat for about a minute on each side. Pour over the lemon juice, return the chorizo to the pan to warm.

Serve immediately on a plate with the chopped parsley scattered over.