Serves: 4
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 30 min

This time of year is a good time to get together with friends on those balmy hot summer afternoons. It’s also the perfect time for enjoying lighter meals, salads, and cool refreshing beers, like Australian pale ales.

In this recipe we not only marinate the scallops and prawns in beer, we also boil the celeriac in it. This fills the kitchen with beautiful aromas. The celeriac purée can be cooked earlier in the day and then reheated just before serving. I used Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, but any full malt Australian pale ale would also work well.

Ingredients

• 12 large peeled raw green prawns
• 12 large scallops with roe
• 300g peeled & chopped celeriac
• 2 stubbies Australian pale ale
• A few sprigs of chopped fresh coriander
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Two to four hours before cooking, place prawns and scallops into a suitable container and cover with one stubbie of the ale, two minced garlic cloves, some ground black pepper, and a pinch of salt. Return to refrigerator.

1. Place celeriac into a saucepan and cover with the pale ale. Top up with water if necessary.
2. Bring to boil and then simmer until soft, about 25 minutes.
3. Drain and purée with a blender, food processor, or mixing wand for a few minutes until it has a smooth consistency.
4. Season with some salt, pepper, and the juice of one of lemon wedges.
5. Mix together and set aside.
6. Remove prawns and scallops from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.
7. Place onto an oiled medium heat BBQ or frypan. You will need to be quick here, as they should only be cooked for about 60 seconds on the first side, and 30 seconds on the second. They become tough and rubbery if you cook them longer than that. When cooked, scallops turn firm and opaque, while prawns turn pink and firm.
8. Place some celeriac purée onto each plate and top with the prawns and scallops.
9. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander.
10. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges, your favourite summer salad, and some Australian pale ale.

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