Coquilles Saint-Jacques

5 from 5 votes

Recipe video above. Coquilles Saint-Jacques is a French scallop au gratin starter, a true bistro classic I've always loved. With sweet scallops baked in a creamy mushroom Béchamel and a golden cheesy crust, you'll be surprised how easy it is to make. Comforting and rich, a lovely way to start a dinner.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Course: Appetiser, Seafood, Starter

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Coquilles Saint-Jacques, Scallops, Scallops gratin

Servings: people

Calories: 427cal

Author: Chef JB (RecipeTin)

Ingredients

220g / 7 1/2 oz medium raw scallops (Note 1)
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Mushroom Béchamel Sauce

30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 eschalot (US: shallot), finely diced (Note 2)
200g / 7 oz white mushrooms , diced 8mm / 1/4"
2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose)
1/2 cup hot milk , preferably full fat but works with lite milk too
1/2 cup hot thickened cream (heavy cream) , or any other full fat cream
1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Cheesy Crust

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 3)
50 g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
50g / 1/2 cup Gruyère cheese , shredded using a standard box grater (tightly packed if using cups) (Note 4)
1/8 tsp cooking salt

Cups - Metric

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE

Pat scallops dry, remove the chewy side muscle, slice in half. Cook mushrooms and eschalot in butter, make a creamy béchamel. Mix the crust. Season and cover scallops in gratin dishes, top with crust, bake 20 minutes at 200°C / 400°F (180°C / 350°F fan).

FULL RECIPE

Preparation

Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced).
Prepare the scallops - Pat them dry with paper towel. Remove the little side muscle (the “foot”) if you see it, it's edible but get chewy when cooked. (Note 1) Set aside until needed.

Cheesy Crust

Mix the crust ingredients and set aside until needed.

Mushroom Béchamel Sauce

Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the eschalot and mushrooms. Stir regularly and cook for 4–5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.
Add flour. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. It will look a bit pasty, that’s normal.
Pour in the hot milk and cream. Then stir until incorporated and lump free. (Note 5)
Thicken - Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, then stir well. When you see the first small bubbles appearing, let it cook for 30 seconds, then take it off the stove. It should be more pourable than a regular Béchamel, so it spreads easily around the scallops. (Note 6)

Assemble

Season the scallops with salt and divide them between 4 shallow ramekins. (We use flat round ramekins: 11cm / 4.3" diameter, 2.5cm / 1" deep.) (Note 7)
Sauce - Cover scallops with ALL the mushroom béchamel. Make sure to fill up all the gaps. Flatten the surface with a small spatula or the back of a spoon.
Cheesy crust - Scatter the cheesy crust evenly over each ramekin, right to the edges. We want a golden top with no empty spots.
Bake - Place ramekins on a tray and bake 20 minutes until golden.
Serve - Rest 2 minutes, then serve. (Note 8) And bon appétit, of course!

Notes

1. Scallops - Scallops come in all sizes. Use about 50 to 55g per person as a guide.

Small scallops: keep them whole.
Medium scallops: cut in half (my preference).
Large scallops: cut into 3 pieces so they cook evenly.
Frozen scallops - most scallops in Australia are frozen. Thaw them in the fridge or counter (~ 2 hours) before using.
Little side foot - See photos in the post for what it looks like. Most but not all scallops have it. If you see it, best to remove as it can get a little chewy when cooked.
Roe / coral (the orange part) - Most scallops come without it. It has a slightly firmer texture and a mild flavour. It’s 100% edible and can be used in this recipe depending on your taste. Most restaurants remove it but still save it for another purpose (chefs love it for its flavour, richness and colour).

2. Eschalots are the small purple skinned onions with a mild, sweet flavour. They’re called shallots in the US (not to be confused with the long green shallots/spring onions).

3. Panko breadcrumbs - Panko are Japanese-style breadcrumbs. They’re lighter and crispier than regular breadcrumbs, which gives the gratin a better golden crust. You can buy it at most big supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section and Asian stores. Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

4. Gruyère cheese - The classic choice here. It melts beautifully and has a rich flavour that’s not overpowering. Swiss/Emmental is the closest match. Otherwise, use any mild melting cheese like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby or Tasty.

5. Half milk + half cream - In my opinion, all cream would be too rich, and all milk would be too light. Half-and-half gives you a sauce that’s rich but not heavy, silky, and perfect for an entrée.

6. Béchamel - This béchamel is thinner than the classic version. The ratio of less flour to more liquid keeps it pourable so it spreads around the scallops and fills the dish evenly.

7. Ramekins - Flat, shallow ramekins look the best and help the dish cook evenly. They also give a wide, golden crust, the best part! Other ramekins work too, but you may need to adjust the amount of scallops, sauce and crust depending on the size. You can also use scallop shells, which is the traditional French way (see FAQ).

8. Resting helps the sauce settle and thicken slightly. With a better texture overall, not runny, not too hot, just perfect when you dig in!

Leftovers - Coquilles Saint-Jacques is best eaten fresh, but leftovers will keep 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in the oven at 180°C / 350°F fan for 15 minutes or until hot through and the top crisps up again. I don’t recommend freezing, the sauce can split and the texture won’t be the same.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition