Coquille St. Jacques (Scallops With Beurre Blanc)

Submitted by TigerJo

"I either buy fresh scallops, or the frozen sea scallops from Trader Joe's. They thaw fast enough that I can easily make this on a weeknight. I'm told some folks have problems with the sauce "breaking" if you are not careful whisking in the butter and keeping the sauce from getting too hot, but I have not. I usually serve this dish with rice and steamed spinach; the sauce goes well over just about anything. The chives are good, but I prefer the tarragon. My husband and I find that we can easily eat 1/2 lb of scallops."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 2

ingredients

• 16 ounces sea scallops (approx 12 scallops)
• 1⁄4 cup dry vermouth
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into slices
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper

directions

1. Marinate scallops in vermouth at least 15 minutes (or up to an hour); In a medium saucepan large enough to hold a small heavy saucepan, boil some water and set aside.
2. In that small heavy saucepan, simmer shallot in vinegar and wine until liquid is reduced to approximately 1T; Remove from heat and add water; Reduce heat to low and cook, adding 6T butter 1T at a time; whisking in each new piece before the previous one has melted completely (occasionally lift pan from heat to cool mixture); Sauce should never liquify, it should be similar to a thin hollandaise; remove from heat and whisk in herbs, and salt and pepper to taste; Cover and keep warm in pan of hot water.
3. Drain scallops and pat dry.
4. Season scallops with salt and pepper; Heat 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over moderate heat, until foam subsides; saute half of the scallops, turning once until just cooked through (approx 4 minutes total); wipe out skillet and saute the other half of the scallops in remaining butter/olive oil mixture.
5. Serve scallops with beurre blanc.

Reviews

[LAURIE W.]

I have been making an almost exact dish for years. It may be a bit labor intensive but worth every second. If you need that special something for a dinner party or just want to impress someone, this is the dish. My difference is No Vermouth and I serve it in pastry shells. You open the lid of the shell and fill. Place the lid on top and they are gorgeous. I serve 2 per person with some grilled asparagus on the side. Delish.