Taylor Bay Scallops with Uni & Mustard Oil

Ingredients

• 4 overripe tomatoes
• coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons mirin
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 cranks freshly ground pepper in a mill
• Crushed ice
• for presentation
• 20 bay scallops in their shells
• shucked
• shells rinsed well and reserved
• or 5 large dry sea scallops (see Notes) cut into quarters
• plus
• 20 oyster
• clam
• or mussel shells
• 20 lobes of sea urchin (also uni)
• 1 tablespoon mustard oil
• or more to taste
• Coarsely ground black mustard seed

Instructions

1. In a food processor, pulse tomatoes with sea salt until chunky.
2. Line a strainer or coffeemaker basket with a coffee filter and transfer tomatoes to the coffee filter.
3. Set strainer over a large nonreactive bowl or coffeemaker carafe.
4. Refrigerate this contraption at least 12 hours: the tomatoes intensely flavored, clear juices will filter into the bowl.
5. To the tomato water, add mirin, cayenne pepper, and ground pepper.
6. Cover a dish with crushed ice.
7. (If serving this as an appetizer, use dinner plates.
8. A large serving tray or tiered platter would work well if these are to be served as hors doeuvres.)
9. For an individual appetizer, arrange 5 shells in a ring on the ice.
10. Place a scallop (or piece of scallop) and uni lobe side by side in each shell.
11. Spoon seasoned tomato water into each shell to cover the shellfish, 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons per shell.
12. Drizzle several drops of mustard oil over each, and garnish with a pinch of black mustard seed.
13. Serve immediately.