’Tis the season for food that makes everyone feel a little bit loved and special; for showstoppers – but preferably the kind that don’t stop the show for too long, given how much else is likely to be going on. This French classic, which can be made a day ahead, if necessary, and/or bulked out with other seafood, is a luxurious light starter or fancy canapé.
Prep 20 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 6
6 large sustainably-sourced scallops (diver-caught, ideally), cleaned and on the shell, or frozen and defrosted scallops (or see method)
2 tbsp butter
2 banana shallots, or 4 round ones
150ml white wine (optional; see method)
100ml double cream
For the topping
1 small garlic clove
25g parsley
2 tbsp butter
70g dried breadcrumbs
1 A note on the seafood
If you’d like to keep costs down, go for frozen scallops, or for smaller queen scallops (farmed or hand-dived ones tend to be the most sustainable), or mix scallops with other seafood such as small shelled clams and prawns, etc, and cook and serve them in gratin dishes. Store live scallops in the fridge round-side down. For a more substantial dish, add another chopped scallop, or other seafood, per person.
2 Clean the scallops
Ask the fishmonger to clean fresh scallops in the shell (or do it yourself: carefully prise open the shell slightly by inserting a sturdy knife near the hinge, then run a flexible knife down the inside of the flat side and gently detach the meat. Spoon it out, then, keeping any orange roe, pull off and discard the frill and black stomach; a video might be helpful). Rinse the scallop meat and reserve the top shells.
3 Sweat the shallots
Peel and finely chop the shallots – you could also add a finely minced garlic clove, if you like, and perhaps a sprinkling of thyme, but don’t overdo it or you’ll overwhelm the delicate flavour of the seafood.
Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a small pan on a medium-low heat, then add the shallots and sweat until soft.
4 Poach the scallops
Add the wine to the pan (dry sherry or white vermouth will also work; or, to keep things alcohol-free, use a dilute fish stock with a squeeze of lemon juice at the end) and bring to a simmer. Add the scallop meat, poach for two or three minutes, depending on their thickness, and turning once, until they turn white, then scoop out on to a plate.
5 Reduce the wine
Simmer the wine vigorously until it’s almost completely evaporated into a thick syrup, then take off the heat, leave to cool slightly and stir in the cream (and a little lemon juice, if you’re not using wine). Season to taste, bearing in mind that there’s a topping to come that will also be seasoned.
6 Start the topping
Peel and flatten the garlic clove with the flat of a knife. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and the softer tops of the stalks.
Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a small pan with the garlic clove, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse.
7 Flavour the breadcrumbs
Put the breadcrumbs (dried or dryish ones will crisp up better than fresh) in a food processor with the parsley, and whizz to a vibrant green (if you don’t have a machine, finely chop the two with a knife).
Lift the garlic clove out of the melted butter and discard/eat, then stir the butter into the parsley breadcrumbs and season to taste.
8 Assemble the dish
Divide the scallops (or your chosen seafood) between six reserved half-shells (or six small gratin/ovenproof dishes; you can make this in one larger dish, if you’d prefer – just make sure the scallops are at all times partially covered by sauce).
Top the scallops with the creamy shallots, then scatter the breadcrumbs evenly on top.
9 Grill and serve
If cooking immediately, heat the grill to medium-high, then grill the scallops for about three minutes, until golden and bubbling on top.
Serve at once, perhaps with a green salad. Alternatively, if you’re preparing these ahead, store the ungrilled shells (or dishes) flat in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Take them out a little while before you intend to cook them, to ensure they’re not still chilly in the middle.
