The Dunes Café

For almost 25 years The Dunes and its vertical flags have been a landmark on the Brackley Point Rd. The building has a low profile viewed from the road, but soars with glass walls overlooking Island fields and forests down to the water.

The Dunes is more than a restaurant. The café takes up only a small portion of the space, the rest devoted to crafts and furniture. A large gallery features local artists, with pottery thrown on site. A new gallery presents furniture and crafts imported from Asia.

Visitors can also wander through extensive water gardens, and a climb up the spiral staircase to The Muse provides a view across the garden and fields to the bay beyond, complemented by another water garden off the balcony. The gardens help supply not only produce, but also edible flowers, which the café is well known for using to decorate its dishes.

The scallop and shrimp duet has been a favourite on the menu for eight years. Emily Wells, executive chef for the last four years, has made only slight changes to the original recipe.

Shrimp and Scallop Duet

The pesto and salsa recipes serve eight, and will keep for several days in the fridge.

Red Pepper Pesto

2 roasted red peppers
1/3 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup whipping cream

Place all ingredients except whipping cream in a food processor and process until smooth. Add cream through the feeder tube with the machine running until mixed.

Mango Salsa

1 mango, peeled and diced small
1 red pepper, finely diced
1-2 green onions, chopped
Juice of 2 limes

Combine and allow to macerate at least 20 minutes for flavours to develop.

Per serving

5 large scallops 5 jumbo shrimp 1 clove garlic 2 tbsp clarified butter or olive oil

Prepare plates with a puddle of pesto for the scallops and a spread of salsa for the shrimp.

Heat oil and butter briefly over high heat in a non-stick sauté pan. Add the chopped garlic. Turn heat down to medium high and lightly sauté garlic. Dry scallops on paper towel. Add scallops and sauté about 1-2 minutes, turning down heat slightly if they brown too quickly. Turn scallops over and add shrimp. Sauté one minute, then turn shrimp and cook one more minute.

Place shrimp on salsa and scallops on pesto. Serve with rice pilaf or potato of your choice.