Coquille Saint-Jacques

Appetizer


Preparation: 20 mn
Cooking: 20 mn


300 cal. per shell



Description

Coquille Saint-Jacques is a seafood-based appetizer often server in festive celebrations like Christmas eve, New Year eve, birthdays, etc...

The dish is usually serve in the scallop shell (coquille) but if you do not have any available, if can be served in ramequins as well.

Ingredient (for 4 persons)

• 4 big scallops or 12 baby scallops
• 12 small shrimps
• 6 white mushrooms
• Half a cup of whole milk
• 4 tablespoon flour
• 1 stick of butter
• Cayenne pepper
• 125 g of swiss cheese (gruyere or emmental)

Preparation
Remove the foot of the mushroom and peel them. Cut them in 4.
If needed, remove the scales of the shrimps
Put the scallops and the shrimps on a clothe in order to absord the juice

Preparation of the bechamel sauce
In a sauce pan, melt slowly on low the stick of butter. Be careful that the butter do not cook and turn brown.

Slowly add the flour, stiring slowly until you obtain a homogenous apparel. Add the milk gradually. Keep stirring so the apparel does not aggregate during the cooking.
Continue to add the milk as the sauce thickens.

Add the peeled mushrooms cut in 4 and a pinch of Cayenne pepper.
Keep stiring until you get a smooth white sauce.

Cooking
Dispose the scallops and shrimp in the shell or ramequin.
Add the sauce until the scallops and shrimps are fully covered.
Sprinkle the cheese until it covers the preparation.

Cook in the over at 450 degrees for 20 mn
When ready turn the broiler on for a couple minutes until the cheese turn slightly brown

Serve hot with white wine or a white beer