Nigella's Scallops and Peas

500g frozen petits pois
1–2 x 15ml tablespoons Thai green curry paste
75g crème fraîche
sea salt flakes or pouring salt, to taste
2 teaspoons groundnut or other flavourless oil
2 teaspoons butter
6 big scallops (such as sold in shell by fishmongers) or 10–12 small ones (such as sold in packets in the supermarket), preferably diver-caught
juice 1 lime
1–2 x 15ml tablespoons chopped
fresh coriander or Thai basil

Cook the peas in boiling, slightly salted water until tender, then drain and tip into a blender, adding 1 tablespoon curry paste and the crème fraîche. Season to taste with salt and perhaps add more curry paste, depending how strong it is.
Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan until foamy, then fry the scallops for about 2 minutes a side. If you are using big scallops, then it is sometimes easier to cut them in half across. When they are cooked, they will have just lost their raw look in the middle and be lusciously tender, while golden and almost caramelized on the outside.
Lift the scallops onto 2 warmed plates and then de-glaze the hot pan by squeezing in the lime juice. stir to mix well and pick up every scrap of flavour, then pour this over the scallops on each plate.
Dish up the pea purée alongside the scallops, and sprinkle with the chopped coriander or thai basil. Serve with another wedge of lime, if you feel like it.

Serves 2 (this is a LOT of peas)