Manx Queenies with Cucumber and Wild Fennel

Last year I was invited to the Isle of Man Queenie Festival, the first to be held. As you might guess, fishing for queen scallops is a pretty serious business on the island. Given that it takes as long to prep a little queenie as it does to clean a large scallop, you could argue that it’s not worthwhile, but they are delicious and the possibilities are endless. Very fresh queenies are excellent eaten raw - I rate them on a par with oysters and they can be served in the same way.