Scallops with Leak “Fondue” (Saint-Jacques aux Poireaux )

This was out first time cooking these beautiful shells and we tried to use a simple, elegant recipe, that really underlined the texture and refinement of the scallops. For this dish we had shells that were whole, meaning we used both the scallop (the muscle of the mollusk) and the coral (you can choose to cook only the scallop itself ), and this is important mentioning as the two have different  cooking times. 

So, the ingredients:

-about  14 scallop+coral combo

- 500 grams of leak, finely chopped (I used both the white and the green part of the leak, if you don’t want to see any green in the dish, use only the whites)

-120 grams butter

- 2 tbs cream

- 1-2 tbs finely chopped parsley

- 2 garlic cloves

- 1tbs olive oil

Start by washing the mollusks and separating the scallop from the coral (be careful as you do this, the meat tends to brake easily of the coral). In a heavy base pot heat up 60 grams of butter on a low heat, add the leak, stir, put a lid on, and let it break down for about 20 minutes. After that, the leak should have an almost creamy consistency, at which point add salt, pepper, the cream and the finely cut garlic, mix on low heat without a lid for 3 minutes, and you’re done with the vegetable.

We also tried a Tunisian wine for the first time

Meanwhile, prepare the meat. Heat up the remaining butter with the oil, and fry (on medium high heat) the scallops for 3-4 minutes, turning them half-way, and the coral for about 1-1,5 minutes, flipping them also. Make sure you sprinkle some parsley on the dish, also some lemon juice brings a nice kick to the scallops.

Enjoy!