Tag: coquiles

Scallop Gratin

13 February 2025

Scallops (or Coquilles Saint-Jacques) are a seasonal product. In France they are available from October 1st until May 15th. In Nantucket the season runs from November 1st through March. Perhaps your fishmonger sells scallops all year round. Most likely they were frozen which massively impacts the flavour and texture. Scallops must be fresh. If possible, buy them in their shell (opening them is not difficult, cleaning them can be a bit messy, this video explains more) or ask your fishmonger to do so.

Recently John Rieber and Dorothy’s New Vintage Kitchen published great recipes with Nantucket Bay Scallops. We bought French scallops from the Normandy region and prepared three dishes, one following Dorothy’s recipe, one classic gratin and one modern gratin.

Earlier we wrote about Vacherin Fribourgeois. This cheese originates from the region around the Swiss city Fribourg. It’s a semi-hard, creamy cheese made with raw cow milk. It matures for some ten weeks in a damp cellar. Its taste is aromatic, floral, full-bodied and lasting, with a touch of sweetness, bitterness and umami. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get hold of. It can be replaced by a combination of Gruyere and Appenzeller. Emmentaler is not an option because when you melt it, it gets stringy.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of white Macon with our Gratin de Coquilles Saint-Jacques. In general you’re looking for a fresh, round white wine, with notes of citrus and pepper, minerality and a touch sweetness.

What You Need (Modern Gratin)
  • Scallops
  • Leek
  • Vacherin Fribourgeois
  • Olive Oil
  • Black Pepper
What You Do

This is our preferred version. The dish is an interesting combination of sweetness, richness, aromas and textures. It’s fun to serve in a shell, but it makes for challenging eating. Better to serve in ramekin, which also allows you to serve three scallops per person!

  1. Thinly slice the white of a leek and leave it for 30+ minutes in a pan with olive oil on very low heat.
  2. Taste the leek, it should have just a little bite and it should still have the distinct flavour and aroma of leek.
  3. Add some black pepper.
  4. Preheat the oven to 220 °C or 430 °F.
  5. Heat a small non-stick pan and quickly colour the scallops.
  6. Add some of the leek mixture to the shell.
  7. Place the scallops on top.
  8. Add grated cheese.
  9. Transfer to the oven and serve when the cheese has melted, probably after three minutes.
What You Need (Classic Gratin)
  • Scallops
  • Shallot
  • Double Cream
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Butter
  • White Wine
  • All Purpose Flour
  • Black Pepper
What You Do

The idea is to make a sauce, combine the sauce with the scallops, top with breadcrumbs and grill until golden. Alternative ingredients include fish fumet, parsley, cheese and mushrooms. If you coarsely chop the scallops, then the scallops are more evenly spread in the sauce. 

  1. Fry the scallops quickly in a hot pan with olive oil, just to give them extra flavour and colour.
  2. Set the scallops aside, reduce heat, add finely chopped shallot to the pan and glaze.
  3. Add some butter and flour to the pan; make a roux.
  4. Add white wine, let reduce a bit, add cream.
  5. If the sauce is too thick then add some liquid.
  6. Add some black pepper.
  7. Place the scallop(s) in a shell, add sauce and top with breadcrumbs.
  8. Grill for three minutes or until golden.
PS

Yes, we serve our scallops with roe. Why discard it? The roe is flavourful and brings another texture to the combination.
Other very tasty recipes: scallops with cauliflower or with potatoes and truffle.

Scallop Gratin Modern ©cadwu
Scallop Gratin Classic © cadwu
Scallops with Oyster Mushrooms ©cadwu

Season’s Greetings

19 December 2021

Perhaps you’re looking for some extra inspiration menu-wise for the Holiday Season? Let us help you with a few suggestions.

Apéretif

It’s of course great to serve a glass of Champagne, but why not start with a glass of Crémant de Bourgogne or Alsace? Or a Spanish Cava? The fun is that you can buy a slightly more expensive Crémant or Cava and enjoy a refined sparkling wine. Serve with Terrine de Foie Gras on toast or with a small prawn cocktail, served in a peeled tomato.

Starter

Scallops with fluffy cauliflower purée is a wonderful combination of flavours. The practical advantage is that you can prepare the purée a day ahead and grilling the pancetta is also something you can do in advance. Serve with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Dry, some acidity, touch of fruit.

Main Course

Canard à l’Orange, served with steamed Brussels sprouts and potatoes fried in butter: a dish that supports the festive character of your evening: sweetness, a touch of bitterness and crispy, rich potatoes. Enjoy with a beautiful Bordeaux. In general you’re looking for a powerful red wine, with aromas of berries and a touch of oak. The flavour must be round and long with subtle tannins.

Cheese

We tend to go for the classic combination of Stilton and Port. Spend some money and buy a Late Bottled Vintage Port.

Dessert

Continue the British tradition and enjoy a slice of Christmas Pudding with a coffee and a glass of Cognac or Calvados. No need to serve the pudding with brandy butter.

Season’s Greetings 2021 ©cadwu
Season’s Greetings 2021 ©cadwu

Scallops with Winter Truffle

20 January 2019

Just One?

Scallops, or Coquilles Saint Jacques, can be delicate, special and tasty. But very often they are basic, chewy and tasteless. The reason is very simple: the ready-to-cook scallops were frozen, shipped from Canada or China and quickly defrosted, maybe days before you bought them as ‘fresh’. The result is on your plate.
The solution is also simple: buy fresh scallops. Then the flavours and aromas will overwhelm you. The structure of the meat (either raw or cooked) will be exactly as it should be.
Agreed, fresh scallops are much more expensive. But the advantage is that one per person is all you need, so yes, just one per person.

Combining fresh and thinly sliced raw scallops with thinly sliced black winter truffle is a marriage made in heaven. Just a few drops of olive oil and black pepper and your starter is ready. We go for a slightly more complex preparation, bringing various flavours together: earthiness and umami from the truffle with sweetness, light acidity and bitterness of the Noilly Prat, with the sweetness and sharpness of the leek, the crispiness of the leek and the truffle with the soft structure of the scallops. And of course: the colours are amazing as well.

You may also like

And in case you’re not sure how to open and clean a scallop: this is an excellent video that will show you how.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our scallops with a glass of Chablis, Antonin Rodet, Premier Cru, Montmains, 2016. It has a clear and pale golden colour. It comes with mineral notes and a touch of lemon. The taste is delicate and persistent with aromas of fresh citrus. It goes very well with the ‘long’ taste of the dish and the citrus is ideal with the scallop and the Noilly Prat. Combining the scallops with a Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris will also work, as long as the wines are delicate, fresh and not sweet.

What You Need

  • 2 Scallops
  • Olive Oil
  • Butter
  • White of Leek
  • Noilly Prat
  • White Pepper
  • Black Winter Truffle

What You Do

Begin by opening and cleaning the scallops. Clean the two bottom shells because we will use them to serve the scallop. Now thinly slice the leek. Warm the Noilly Prat, allowing for the alcohol to evaporate. Add the leek and allow to cook very gently for 5 minutes. Use a non-sticky skillet with a dash of olive oil and a little butter to fry the scallops. The trick is to fry them until 1/3 has changed colour, then turn them and fry the other 1/3. Add some leek to the shell, a bit of sauce, then the scallop, a touch of white pepper and the thinly sliced black winter truffle on top.

Scallops or Coqcuilles Saint Jacques with Winter Truffle © cadwu
Ingredients of Scallops or Coqcuilles Saint Jacques with Winter Truffle © cadwu