Recipe for Seared Scallops (St. Jacques) with Creamy Curried Leeks
David Scott Allen · Fish & Seafood · Main Course · Provencal Recipes · TasteSometimes the idea of cooking seafood can be daunting. With a little help from our good friend and equally wonderful chef David this recipe for seared scallops looks easy. You too can easily prepare and enjoy this traditional French classic of St Jacques on a creamy base of curried leeks. Of course, shopping for the ingredients in Paris might add a bit more “spice” to the meal…read his full article here.
Seared Scallops with Creamy Curried Leeks
Tender scallops seared and served with a creamy curried leak sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 leeks cleaned, halved lengthwise, and sliced
- 5 tbsp butter divided
- 2 zest of clementines finely grated
- 1/2 tsp Curry powder
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche
- 10 sea scallops patted dry
- Salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, blanch the sliced leeks in salted boiling water for 1 minute; drain well.
- Melt 3 tbsp of the butter in the same saucepan over medium heat and add the leeks.
- Cook the leeks in the butter for 15-20 minutes, until they are very soft and beginning to break down.
- Add the clementine zest and curry powder, and cook a couple minutes longer to meld the flavors.
- Blend in the crème fraîche and remove from the heat.
- Set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat.
- Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.
- When the butter is hot, add the scallops and sear - about two minutes each side.
- While the scallops are cooking, reheat the creamy leeks.
- Divide the leeks between two dinner plates, top with the scallops, and serve with a lightly dressed green salad.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Private Baux de Provence & Saint Remy de Provence Wine Tour from Marseille
Create your perfect private wine tour in Provence, tailored to your preferences (half-day or full-day). Whether you want to combine wine tasting with stunning landscapes, charming villages, or cultural exploration, we’ll design an itinerary just for you.
Book this Experience for 2025Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous Post
Springtime in the VaucluseRelated Provence Articles
Easy Grilled Halibut and a Provencal Wine Pairing
October 14, 2022
The thing is, we weren’t planning on grilled halibut for dinner. But sometimes, that is how things go when you get to the grocery store, and they don’t have what you had planned. In most cases, that isn’t too complicated a switch, but for this meal, we had planned a cooking and wine pairing with …
Understanding and Tasting The Real Bouillabaisse of Marseille
April 3, 2015
During a visit to a restaurant at the Vieux-Port in Marseille, we sampled “charter” Bouillabaisse. Bouillabaisse is a seafood soup with pieces of fish and crustaceans. The soup is so special that in 1980, eleven of the top chefs in Marseille created the “Bouillabaisse Charter”. Ginger and Nutmeg’s original blog post: The Real Bouillabaisse of Marseille is reproduced …
Seared Scallops Coquilles Saint-Jacques and Caramelized Endives
October 10, 2018
This seafood dish so bright and flavourful that I call it sunshine on a plate (see post for step-by-step photos). Seared scallops are coquilles Saint-Jacques in French. They are not hard to cook, but there are a few culinary keys to achieving a crispy result. Try to find fresh scallops as frozen does not work …
Recipe for Bouillabaisse Terrine by Gérald Passedat
August 23, 2016
recipe for Bouillabaisse Terrine is from Gérald Passedat's new cookbook Flavors From The French Mediterranean. This master chef turns this Provencal seafood dish - originally a fisherman's meal made with the unsold fish parts - into a beautiful new variation on the dish.…
No Comment