The Michelin Star Dish That Shouldn't Work, But Does

Combining rich pork belly with delicate seafood is a classic kitchen move, but Liam Nichols of Michelin-starred STORE at Stoke Mill takes it in an unexpected direction. By pairing teriyaki-glazed pork belly with an Orkney scallop katsu curry sauce and a pickled Charlotte potato salad, Nichols demonstrates how to balance heavy, sweet, and acidic profiles on a single plate. For chefs looking to refresh their modern menus, this dish provides an excellent blueprint for handling complex surf-and-turf flavour combinations.

The success of this dish lies in understanding how its distinct components interact. Pork belly provides a heavy, fatty foundation, which Nichols coats in a sweet and savoury teriyaki glazeGlazeA shiny coating applied to food to add flavour, colour, moisture or visual finish.. To bridge the gap between land and sea, he uses an Orkney scallop katsu curry sauce. The inherent sweetness of the scallop complements the pork, while the warm spice of the katsu cuts through the rich fat. The danger when combining these elements is cloying sweetness, which is why the execution of the curry sauce must balance aromatic spice with a clean, light finish.

Counteracting Richness with Acid

To prevent the plate from becoming overwhelmingly heavy, Nichols introduces a sharp, textured element: a pickled Charlotte potato salad. Charlotte potatoes hold their shape well when cooked, providing a firm bite that contrasts with the tender pork and smooth sauce. By pickling the potatoes, Nichols injects vital acidity directly into the starch. This acidity acts as a palate cleanser, slicing through both the pork fat and the sweet glazeGlazeA shiny coating applied to food to add flavour, colour, moisture or visual finish., ensuring the diner can enjoy the entire dish without palate fatigue.

Technical Execution on the Pass

When replicating this style of dish, control over temperatures and textures is paramount. The pork belly requires precise slow cooking to renderRenderTo slowly heat fatty tissue so that its fat melts away. the fat while keeping the meat succulent before glazing. The scallop component in the sauce must be handled delicately; overcooking scallops ruins their delicate texture and sweet profile. Ensuring the pickling liquor for the potatoes has enough punch to stand up to the spiced katsu is the final piece of the puzzle. It is a lesson in using acidity as a structural tool, rather than just an afterthought garnishGarnishAn edible element added primarily to enhance flavour, texture or presentation..