Coquilles Saint-Jacques

Coquilles Saint-Jacques are scallops seared and finished in a white wine and cream sauce, served back in their own fan-shaped shell. The name is literally the French word for the shell itself — Saint Jacques being the scallop's patron-saint name in French — and serving the dish back inside that shell is what the name is actually describing, not the recipe.

What it actually is

Scallops sear briefly in butter over high heat, just long enough to colour without turning rubbery, then come back out while a sauce builds in the same pan: softened shallot, a splash of white wine reduced down, and cream stirred through until it thickens slightly. The scallops return to the sauce just to warm through, and the whole thing spoons back into the scrubbed shell it's named for, sometimes finished with a quick pass under the broiler.

Because the scallop cooks twice — once searing, once returning to the sauce — timing the sear short is what keeps the final dish tender rather than tough; a scallop given a long sear before rejoining a hot sauce is nearly always overcooked by the time it's served.

How it's served

• In the scallop's own scrubbed shell, spooned full of sauce.
• As a starter, in French bistros and brasseries.
• With a light gratin finish, a few seconds under the broiler, in many versions.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag molluscs, dairy and sulphites; the scallop, cream sauce and wine reduction carry all three.
• Say whether it's served in a real shell or a shell-shaped dish, since either is authentic but guests may expect one or the other.
• Note the short sear time as a point of craft, since scallops toughen quickly and a properly cooked one should still be tender at the centre.
• Mention if you swap in another shellfish when scallops aren't available, since the name specifically promises scallop.