As the festive season approaches, home cooks across Britain seek impressive yet manageable dishes that bring warmth and elegance to the table. Guardian food writer Felicity Cloake presents her masterful version of coquilles St-Jacques, the classic French scallop gratin that combines delicate seafood with rich flavours in a showstopping starter.
The Perfect Festive Starter
This luxurious dish features sustainably sourced scallops in a creamy white wine and shallot sauce, crowned with vibrant parsley breadcrumbs. What makes it particularly appealing during the busy holiday period is its flexibility - it can be prepared a day in advance and adapts well to other seafood additions.
Preparation takes just 20 minutes with 15 minutes cooking time, yielding six generous servings. The recipe maintains its sophisticated appeal while remaining accessible to home cooks of varying experience levels.
Ingredients and Sustainable Choices
Cloake emphasises the importance of sustainable seafood sourcing, recommending diver-caught scallops where possible. For budget-conscious cooks, she suggests alternatives including frozen scallops, smaller queen scallops, or mixtures with other sustainable seafood like clams and prawns.
The core ingredients include six large scallops (cleaned and on the shell if possible), butter, banana shallots, white wine, double cream, garlic, parsley and dried breadcrumbs. The Guardian specifically notes checking sustainable fish ratings in your region, providing resources for UK, Australian and US readers.
Step-by-Step Preparation
The process begins with proper scallop preparation. If using fresh scallops in shell, carefully prise open near the hinge and detach the meat, keeping any orange roe while discarding the frill and black stomach. Reserve the attractive top shells for serving.
Next, finely chopped shallots are sweated in butter until soft, creating the flavour base. The scallops then take a brief poach in white wine (or alcohol-free alternatives like diluted fish stock with lemon juice) until they turn white - a process taking just two to three minutes depending on thickness.
While the scallops rest, the wine reduces to a thick syrup before cream is stirred in for the luxurious sauce. Simultaneously, the parsley breadcrumb topping comes together through infusing garlic in butter before combining with vibrantly green parsley-processed breadcrumbs.
Assembly and Serving
The final assembly sees scallops arranged in their reserved shells or gratin dishes, topped with the creamy shallot mixture and finished with the parsley breadcrumbs. A three-minute grill under medium-high heat creates the signature golden, bubbling crust.
For those planning ahead, the assembled but ungrilled dishes can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, needing only brief resting at room temperature before grilling. Serve immediately, perhaps accompanied by a fresh green salad for contrast.
This coquilles St-Jacques recipe represents the perfect balance of festive luxury and practical preparation, bringing a touch of French elegance to British Christmas tables while maintaining commitment to sustainable seafood practices.
