Light, refined in taste sea scallops simply melt in your mouth, and the pearl shade of their tender meat turns this delicacy into a real decoration of the festive table.
Red caviar and tender slices of salted salmon from the purest depths of the Norwegian Sea – these are the snacks that we invariably put on the table on New Year’s Eve. And what if you surprise your guests with a gastronomic surprise and offer them scallops as well?
This mollusk lives in the same shell that Botticelli depicted on his canvas “The Birth of Venus”. In France, as in other European countries, this shell bears the name of St. James (Saint-Jacques). Ever since the Middle Ages, it has become an identification mark for pilgrims who sought to bow to the relics of the apostle, as it symbolized his sea voyage from Jerusalem to Spain. Pilgrims decorated their clothes and headdresses with this sign, and returning from pilgrimage, they often placed shells on the walls of their houses.
There are at least 400 species of scallops in the world. This seafood is low in calories (88 per 100 g), but it is rich in copper, which facilitates the absorption of iron, vitamin B12 and contains many useful minerals, in particular selenium, an antioxidant that protects us from aging. If you are lucky and you are not dealing with a frozen product, but with live shellfish, cut them like this. To open the shell, insert the blade of a knife between the valves and notch the muscle. Leave only the edible white scallop muscle, discard the rest. Rinse the meat under running water and place on a clean paper towel. Fresh clam can be eaten raw as carpaccio or tartare, sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil. You need to cook it quickly, in a hot pan. And baked in the oven or on the grill with a little butter, pepper and salt, such a scallop is simply delicious!
Sea scallops with Jerusalem artichoke and shallots
For 4 persons
Preparation: 10 minutes
Preparation: 25 minutes
- 8 large scallop muscles
- 4 Jerusalem artichoke tubers
- 4 shallots onions
- 2 stalks leek (white part)
- handful of peeled mussels
- 2 Art. l. olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 bunch of chives
- lightly salted butter
- Fleur de sel sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- fresh horseradish
Preparation
Cut shallots directly into husks into 4 parts and fry in butter in a deep frying pan over low heat for 15 minutes. Thoroughly wash the Jerusalem artichoke and cut into thin slices. Wash the leeks and cut them into 1,5 cm thick slices. Fry everything in a hot pan, adding olive oil, and set aside. Boil mussels for 4 minutes. Fry the scallops in melted butter for 5-7 minutes, add the mussels at the end. Serve the scallops with the mussels topped with Jerusalem artichoke slices, leek slices and fried shallots, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Add a pinch of sea salt, pepper (one turn of a pepper grinder) and sprinkle with chives. Finally, season with a little grated horseradish.
Sea scallops in champagne
For 4 persons
Preparation: 15 minutes
Preparation: 8 – 10 minutes
- 8 fresh scallops with shells
- 1 glass of champagne
- 1/2 head romanesco cabbage
- lightly salted butter
- curry seasoning mix
- Fleur de sel sea salt
Preparation
Open the shells, leaving the scallop muscle on one of the halves. In each sink, add a tablespoon of champagne and a small piece of lightly salted butter. Bake no longer than 8-10 minutes on charcoal, open fire or grill. Cut the Romanesco cabbage into thin slices. At the end of cooking, add Romanesco slices to the scallops and sprinkle with curry mixture (at the tip of a knife). Drizzle with juice from cooking, season with a pinch of sea salt at the last moment. Serve hot.