# The SBHonline Community Daily > Restaurants Wine & Food Off The Island >  >  Coquilles St.-Jacques -- the story behind the name

## JEK

*For Sea Scallops, the Bare Minimum*

JAN. 24, 2014



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Simple sea scallops persillade. Owen Franken for The New York Times
City KitchenBy DAVID TANIS





Sea scallops are one of winters divine treats, and one of the best places to enjoy them is Paris. In every fish market there, you see great piles of them on display, still in the shell, ready to be shucked to order.
To entice customers, a few are displayed already opened to reveal a glistening fat fresh scallop, with the bright orange coral attached. You can buy them preshucked, but why would you? Every fish shop has someone who can get the job done in a flash, so in just a few minutes you walk away with the very freshest specimens. Ask for a few shells  coquilles  and youll have nice set of little dishes to serve them in.
*RELATED COVERAGE*


*Recipe: Simple Sea Scallops Persillade*


Actually, the full name for scallops there is coquilles St.-Jacques. Theres a vivid story behind the name. When St. James (a.k.a. St. Jacques, or Santiago) went wandering on religious pilgrimages, he took with him the shell of a sea scallop  the cuplike bottom half. If he asked for food or drink to sustain him along the way, he would only accept the small amount that fit in the shell. The scallop shell has been the symbol for him ever since.
One classic old-school French method for cooking coquilles St.-Jacques is to bake them in the shell with a thick coating of béchamel sauce until bubbling and browned on top. Though it may look nice, to me it seems a shame to obscure the sweet fresh flavor of a just-shucked scallop.
I always prefer a less complicated rendition, whether seared a la plancha with a dab of pungent romesco sauce, or very lightly poached in a fragrant Asian broth. Or, to continue in a more Gallic vein, I may serve them grilled with a straightforward vinaigrette or, perhaps my favorite way, à la persillade, an easy flourish of chopped garlic and parsley.
The point is, whatever you do, keep the adornments minimal. Utter simplicity is what youre after.
In Botticellis famous painting, the one that depicts Venus emerging from the sea on the half-shell, the shell in question is that of a sea scallop. And there she is, a voluptuous creature, naked and dewy.
Thats the way I think fresh scallops taste best, nearly bare but for that kiss of flavor.
Recipe: Simple Sea Scallops Persillade
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Shucking and trimming the sea scallops before browning them in the pan. Owen Franken for The New York Times

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## amyb

Yummy....

Sea scallops are appearing on many island menus now.

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## MIke R

That's how I do my scallops virtually every time but I do not rinse them as it washes away natural flavors....The paper towel blotting is a key step to get good browning and I don't cook mine nearly as long as this recipe calls for ... I like my scallops slightly raw in the middle

shucking them is a snap and little known fact amongst fishermen is the scallop guts are probably the best chum for striped bass ever..... For whatever reason they go nuts over them

i would never eat scallops on the island.... They are frozen solid and if bought in bulk are wet scallops not dry .... But as always YMMV

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## andynap

Unfortunately I have only seen them shucked here. I do have a nice recipe with chorizo.

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## MIke R

I only get them un shucked right  from the boat ....I ve never seen them in a store unshucked

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## Rosemary

I like them uncooked.  Fast food.

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## MIke R

> I like them uncooked.  Fast food.




Me too......often I eat so many while prepping I run low on the very thing I am making

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## MIke R

BTW if you want to mix it up a bit, do it how this recipe calls for only instead of olive oil get a thin sheen of rendered bacon fat in the cast iron pan and brown em in that .....then sprinkle a little good Hungarian paprika over them and put em over basmati  rice and peas or rice and  beans 

to die for good

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## Jim Kelly-Evans

Mouth-watering thread...however, while in Santiago de Campostela, the only scallop I purchased was made of closionee to wear around my neck, a reminder of the saint whose name I share. The local specialty from the sea in Galicia are the wonderful percebes, which are out of this world delicious, and expensive. 001.jpg

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## MIke R

Yes.... Goose  barnacles....Always wanted to try them

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