Coquilles Saint Jacques

Coquille Saint Jacques

My girlfriend Lisa and I have similar food tastes and when I was menu-planning for New Year’s Eve and mentioned I’d seen a scallop dish I might try…she’d already seen it in Saveur and had earmarked it to show me.

Where I grew up in eastern Quebec, Coquilles Saint Jacques were pretty popular when I was a kid in the late 70s. The dish entailed a base of mashed potatoes topped with a rich béchamel sauce laden with various seafood, including scallops, then Gruyere and Mozzarella cheese were melted over the whole thing. This version is obviously more refined and delicate and features one perfectly-cooked scallop per tasting portion.

Adapted from Coquilles Saint Jacques (Gratineed Scallops), from 150 classic recipes featured in Saveur’s 150th issue

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. button mushrooms, very finely minced
• 6 tbsp. butter
• 3 small shallots, finely minced
• 2 tbsp. minced parsley
• 1 tbsp. minced tarragon, plus 6 whole leaves, to garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¾ cup dry vermouth
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 large sea scallops
• 2 tbsp. flour
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ⅔ cup grated Gruyère cheese
• ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Heat mushrooms, 4 tbsp. butter, and ⅔ of the shallots in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the mixture forms a loose paste, about 25 minutes.
2. Stir parsley and minced tarragon into mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide mixture among 6 cleaned scallop shells or shallow gratin dishes.
4. Bring remaining shallots, vermouth, bay leaf, salt, and ¾ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add scallops and cook until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Remove scallops and place each over mushrooms in shells.
5. Continue boiling cooking liquid until reduced to ½ cup, about 10 minutes then strain. Heat broiler to high.
6. Heat remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add reduced cooking liquid and cream and cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add cheese, juice, salt, and pepper. Divide the sauce over scallops. Broil until browned on top, about 3 minutes then garnish each with a tarragon leaf.

Serves 6.