Serves 4
Ingredients
4 kg scallops (preferably from Erquy as they have an excellent hazelnut taste and are most firm!).
6 Charlotte potatoes
1 shallot
¼ leek
½ carrot
100g low-fat cream
1 tomato
2 twigs rosemary
½ bunch chives
100g half-salt butter
300g duck fat
1 dribble olive oil
Salt, pepper
Préparation
Ask your fishmonger to open the scallop shells while keeping the beards (fringe surrounding the scallop) as these play an important role in the recipe.
Wash and cook the beards in simmering water for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile slice thinly the shallot, leek and carrot and sweat them in olive oil.
When the beards are cooked, add a twig of rosemary in the stock and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes.
Then add the low-fat cream and heat for 10 minutes before draining in a cheesecloth and whisking all the ingredients with half-salt butter (50g). Keep warm in a bain-marie
Meanwhile slice the potatoes into 3 mm thick slices. Wash, dry and cook for 10 minutes in duck fat (sold in pots). This type of cooking is less aggressive than simply frying and allows the potatoes to keep their unctuosity and full flavour.
Then drain the potatoes and sautee in butter so that they become a bit crisp, then salt and pepper.
For decoration, André Le Letty recommends blanching a tomato. Cut into cubes, finely slice the chives and the second rosemary twig.
Fry the scallops for 3 minutes on each side in olive oil.
Poêlez les noix de Saint-Jacques 3 minutes à l’huile d’olive de chaque côté.
Serving
Lay the potatoes like scales on the bottom of the plate and place the scallops above. Sprinkle with rosemary and chives and decorate with the tomatoe cubes. Finally pour over the rosemary juice.
The dish should be hot or warm, but not boiling hot or cold.
What wine is recommended?
Depending on your taste, you can opt for a mineral and lively white wine like a Mâcon, a Muscadet or even a Riesling, or for a rounder, well-balanced and sensual wine, like a Condrieu or a Meursault.
