And so we end the year with an ultra-French and very elegant appetizer of scallops in Champagne sauce to embellish your table during the holidays. Scallops are sautéed in butter, deglazed with champagne, bathed in a creamy, buttery champagne sauce and decorated with fresh herbs. The amount of champagne needed is approximately one flute, so you can serve the rest of the bottle to your guests to start the celebrations.
Scallops with champagne / Sea scallops in Champagne sauce
This appetizer is rich, there is no doubt about it, so a portion of three scallops per person is elegant sufficiency, as my grandmother Anna used to say. I can pretty much guarantee your guests will ask for more. It’s best to stop at three, however, as other treats are likely to follow. (For suggestions, consult the Festive Menu page). I might serve this dish as the start of this year’s Christmas dinner. It would work just as well on New Year’s Eve. And another possibility could be to serve the scallops one in a small glass (verrina) at aperitif time.
While preparing this recipe – which by the way only takes 15 minutes – I wondered why scallops bear the name Saint-Jacques (St. James) in French. It appears to be connected to the Camino de Santiago, an important pilgrimage route to the Spanish holy city of Santiago de Compostela (Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle), where the remains of the apostle James are thought to be buried. It is said that in the Middle Ages pilgrims decorated their clothes with empty shells, which they used to drink, eat and beg for. Mystery solved.
If, like me, you are a big fan of scallops, you can check out three recipes previously published on this site: sautéed in sweet wine, pan-seared with chanterelles, and Breton style (dusted in flour and sautéed in butter). Since scallops are in season right now, this is a great time to try them. And (shh!) if fresh scallops aren’t available where you live, all of these recipes can be made with thawed frozen scallops.
And so, my friends, I leave you with my best wishes for a joyous and delightful holiday season. We certainly live in interesting times. Let’s hope that 2025 surprises us all with peace on earth and goodwill towards men and women everywhere.
Good cooking.
