Scallops, “Coquille St. Jacques” in French, are also known as “King scallops,” “Saint James’ shell” in the British Isles, and here in the states as “Sea scallops” and “Bay scallops” for the smaller ones.
In France, the species is protected and is considered quite a luxury food. The “whole” shell fish is served there, the round fleshy white piece, or the muscle, as well as the delectable “coral” or roe. It looks like a red /orange half moon and I think is the best, tastiest part. Vero’s mum would get them at Christmas and we’d eat them raw, thinly sliced, like “Carpaccio” with lemon juice and a hint of fresh ginger. In this recipe, we’ll cook ‘em.
• 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Flour, for coating
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, divided
• 2 large chopped shallots
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• ½ glass dry white wine
• 1 lemon cut in half
If you’ve got bay scallops, keep them whole. If you’ve got sea scallops (the bigger ones), cut each one in half horizontally. Season with salt and pepper, toss in the flour, and then shake off the excess.
In a large thick assed sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops, all in one go. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on one side without moving them, about 1½ minutes, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. Again 90 seconds, total. This is important cause you don’t want rubbery overcooked scallops.
Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, and add the shallots, garlic, and parsley, which you have chopped nice and fine. Sauté for two more minutes, tossing all the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, and cook for one minute more, (this is called “deglace”) and taste. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice. Ratatouille or rice Pilaf goes well with this dish. You are a chef!