French Recipe for Coquilles St. Jacques

Here is a recipe from the lovely and talented Sinead, of our cooking vacation Discover Normandy. Sinead is a real gem–infinitely knowledgable in the kitchen, and a natural teacher. An Irish transplant to Normandy, her raison d’être is to show her students the simple, authentic life of rural Normandy.

See all our cooking vacations in France.

  Coquilles St. Jacques

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Cook method: Simmer

Ingredients:

• 16 large scallops, shucked and thoroughly cleaned
• 4-6 leeks (white part only) sliced into rounds
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• Butter and olive oil for sauteing
• 1 cup of crème fraîche
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped chives
• Optional: ‘Fleurons’ (a crescent-shaped puff pastry garnish)

Instructions:
  1. Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Add the garlic, then the leeks. Cook them gently for about 15 minutes, taking care not to burn them. (If you like you can add a little grated carrot for color).

2. Put the lid on the saucepan, so that the garlic and leeks steam gently.

3. Add the cream, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly, and heat gently (do not let boil).

4. Slice the scallops horizontally (they’ll cook more quickly). Melt some butter and a drop of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the white part of the scallops, cooking gently over a low heat only for a couple minutes. Quickly add the roe (the orange part of the scallop) and cook for 1 minute more.

5. In the meantime, reheat the ‘fleurons,’ if you are using them, in a medium oven.

6. Stir the scallops into the leek and cream mixture. Add some chopped chives.

7. Serve the scallops with basmati rice, and the fleurons placed on top.

Want to cook with Sinead in person? Find out more about our Discover Normandy cooking vacation!

Discover more recipes from Normandy, including:

• Poule au Pot
• Prawns in Garlic Butter

By Peg Kern

Discover 5 reasons we think you should visit Normandy!

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