Cooking on a Himalayan salt plate is a wonderful thing.

It can be unpredictable – but then that’s part of the charm of sautéing scallops on a hard, pink block chiseled out of the ground.

Just as the earth cracks when it’s hot and dry, so it’s normal for the Himalayan salt plate to develop small cracks when subjected to oven-high temperatures. The best way to prevent any large cracks which could split the block is to heat and cool it as slowly and evenly as possible.

Start the Himalayan salt plate in a cool oven, and keep turning up the temperature over 40 minutes before blasting it at a high heat until the surface is speckled-white, and the block is emitting as much heat as you would expect from a hot hob ring. Similarly, allow the Himalayan salt plate to cool slowly after cooking, and clean it with a damp sponge.

It’s hard to provide strict guides on temperatures and timings when cooking on salt plates - instinct has to prevail.

When we cooked the scallops on the Himalayan salt plate it gave them a beautiful, even salty flavour which couldn’t be achieved with finishing salts. But the scallops didn’t develop the distinctive, caramelized colour that cooked scallops usually take on.

So this recipe is perhaps best for experienced scallop-cookers who can spot whether the scallop is cooked from its subtle changes in texture and colour. Sadly, it’s hard to provide strict guides on temperatures and timings when cooking on Himalayan salt plates, and instinct has to prevail.