Scallop Crudo with Celery, Lemon Gelée and Pomegranate Seeds

Rinse the scallops, pat dry and finely chop. Trim the celery, rinse, peel and finely dice. Mix the scallops with the celery, cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Rinse 8 shells and pat dry. Arrange on a serving platter lined with coarse sea salt.

Bloom the gelatin in cold water. Rinse the lemons in hot water, pat dry and finely grate the zest from 1 lemon. Squeeze the juice from all 3 lemons; it should be about 150 ml (approximately 2/3 cup) juice. Bring the juice to a boil with the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatin and melt in the hot lemon juice. Stir in the lemon zest and then distribute among the scallop shells. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Cut the pomegranate in half and remove the seeds. Set 2-3 tablespoons aside and juice the remainder. Transfer the juice to a saucepan and simmer until reduced to about 50 ml (approximately 1/4 cup). Season with salt and then stir in the olive oil. Let cool.