Recipes

Coquilles St-Jacques (Gratinéed Scallops)

March 20, 2014

For this classic French preparation, scallops are broiled with mushrooms in a cream sauce topped with bubbling cheese. This recipe first appeared in our April 2014 issue with Adam Leith Gollner's story At the Ends of the Earth

For this classic French preparation, scallops are broiled with mushrooms in a cream sauce topped with bubbling cheese.

Yield: serves 6

Ingredients

³⁄₄ cup dry vermouth
1 bay leaf
1 large shallot, quartered
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
18 medium sea scallops
8 tbsp. unsalted butter
16 oz. button mushrooms, sliced 1/4″ thick
3 tbsp. flour
¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
¹⁄₂ tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 ¹⁄₂ cups grated Gruyère

Instructions

Boil vermouth, bay leaf, shallot, salt, white pepper, and ¹⁄₂ cup water in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add scallops; cook until just tender, 1–2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, divide scallops between six cleaned scallop shells or shallow gratin dishes. Simmer cooking liquid until reduced to ³⁄₄ cup, 5–7 minutes. Strain liquid; set aside.
Wipe pan clean; melt 4 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms until soft, 5–7 minutes. Divide mushrooms between scallop shells. Wipe pan clean; melt remaining butter over medium-high heat. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid, the cream, lemon juice, salt, and white pepper; bring to a boil. Cook until sauce is slightly thick, about 6 minutes.
Heat oven broiler. Spoon sauce over scallops and top with Gruyère; broil until cheese is melted and golden, 2–3 minutes.