Snails and Scallops
Snails and scallops in the same shell, with a parsley and Cognac butter and sourdough croutons fried in beef dripping. Four minutes in the oven, two hours of arguing over who gets the last one. Twenty five years with Rick Stein, STEPHANE DELOURME cooks it in the Gozney Dome XL, in one Le Creuset pan.
Ingredients
SERVES 4 AS A STARTER
Allergens: molluscs (snails and scallops), milk (butter), cereals containing gluten (sourdough).
THE BEURRE D’ESCARGOT
120g unsalted butter, softened
1 small shallot, very finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
30ml Cognac
A big handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
A big handful of baby spinach, chopped
Zest of ½ lemon, plus 1 to 2 tsp juice
Sea salt and black pepper
240 to 300g good quality tinned snails, drained and patted dry
8 to 12 prepared scallops in the shell, from Rockfish, shells kept and cleaned
Beef dripping or avocado oil
2 to 3 thick slices good sourdough, torn into chunks
2 to 3 tbsp beef dripping
Sea salt
Method
1. Mix the softened butter with the shallot, garlic, parsley, spinach, Cognac, lemon zest and juice, and a little salt and pepper. Do not cook the shallot and garlic first; they cook gently when the butter hits the hot pan.
2. Get a Le Creuset pan very hot in the Gozney. Add a little dripping and sear the snails hard for 1½ to 2 minutes to drive out the moisture and take on colour. Remove, and do not wash the pan.
3. More dripping in the same pan, then the torn sourdough over a high heat, tossing until crisp, golden and slightly charred. Season and set aside.
4. Pan ferociously hot again. Pat the scallops dry, season lightly and sear 30 seconds on the first side, 20 to 30 on the second. Golden outside, nothing more. Rest briefly, then cut into chunky 2 to 3cm pieces.
5. Melt 120g of the butter in the pan until foaming. Return the snails and scallops with a squeeze of lemon and toss for 30 to 45 seconds only; the residual heat finishes the job. Fold the croutons through at the last moment.
6. Spoon generously into the warmed shells, finish with parsley, lemon zest and flaky salt, and eat with your fingers.
“Do not cook the scallops through. The residual heat does the rest, and all those caramelised bits in the pan are flavour. Don’t wash it.” Stephane Delourme
More Recipes Ideas
Method
1. Mix the softened butter with the shallot, garlic, parsley, spinach, Cognac, lemon zest and juice, and a little salt and pepper. Do not cook the shallot and garlic first; they cook gently when the butter hits the hot pan.
2. Get a Le Creuset pan very hot in the Gozney. Add a little dripping and sear the snails hard for 1½ to 2 minutes to drive out the moisture and take on colour. Remove, and do not wash the pan.
3. More dripping in the same pan, then the torn sourdough over a high heat, tossing until crisp, golden and slightly charred. Season and set aside.
4. Pan ferociously hot again. Pat the scallops dry, season lightly and sear 30 seconds on the first side, 20 to 30 on the second. Golden outside, nothing more. Rest briefly, then cut into chunky 2 to 3cm pieces.
5. Melt 120g of the butter in the pan until foaming. Return the snails and scallops with a squeeze of lemon and toss for 30 to 45 seconds only; the residual heat finishes the job. Fold the croutons through at the last moment.
6. Spoon generously into the warmed shells, finish with parsley, lemon zest and flaky salt, and eat with your fingers.
“Do not cook the scallops through. The residual heat does the rest, and all those caramelised bits in the pan are flavour. Don’t wash it.” Stephane Delourme
Credits: Stephane Delourme; Gozney Dome XL; scallops from Rockfish, Dartmouth; cooked in Le Creuset.
