Julia Child’s Scallops Gratineed
Leave it to Julia Child to pair cheese with fish and turn it into something extravagant. Julia Child’s scallops gratineed is an elegant dish of gratineed scallops with shallots, white wine and broiled Gruyere cheese.
Cheese with Fish, Would You Try It?
It is not every day that I say something like “I think this is the best thing I have ever had”, maybe once in a while or when I make Boeuf Bourguignon, but it’s rare. This glorious dish is also known as Coquilles St. Jacques à la Provençale, doesn’t that sound beautiful?
We all know that gratineed means cheese and to be quite frank, I was skeptical to make this in the beginning. I have a very distinct rule about putting seafood with cheese and often forbid it.
When I go out to a restaurant and order frutti di mare and the server asks if I would like Parmesan cheese on top, I squeal a quick “NO!” thinking hell may freeze over. Maybe a slight overreaction?
What I Thought About Julia Child’s Scallop Recipe: A Total Flavor Explosion
Most of the ingredients for this dish may be kitchen staples that you already have on hand and I promise, the combination is magnificent.
The white wine was pungent and cuts through the richness from the butter and cheese. The Gruyere cheese was not nearly as overpowering as I originally thought and married with the other flavors beautifully. The sauteed shallots took the sauce over the top and brought the entire dish together.
I sopped up the wine buttered broth with some French bread and licked my fingers clean with happiness. This is one of the best things I have ever had.
Ingredients for Julia Child’s Scallops Gratineed
- Scallops: Larger scallops preferrably and dried very well.
- Shallots: Or diced sweet onion is a good substitute.
- White Wine: A dryer white wine is recommended, such as Pinot Gris.
- Butter: Unsalted since seafood tends to be salty.
- Gruyere Cheese: If you can’t find Gruyere, a good substitute is Swiss cheese or Comte.
- Thyme and Bay Leaf: Aromatics that add an herbaceous layer of flavor.
How to Make Scallops Gratineed
- In a skillet, saute shallots in olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter until they begin to be translucent but not browned. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside.
2. Dry scallops with a paper towel and slice them in half, horizontally. Season scallops with salt and pepper and lightly dust in flour, removing any excess.
3. In another skillet (or you can use the same one after removing sauteed shallots), drizzle a bit more oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Sear scallops for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
4. Pour wine into the same skillet with the scallops and add thyme, bay leaf and shallot mixture and continue cooking until wine is reduced, for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Divide scallops into shallow ovenproof dishes and spoon sauce over. I like using a shallow ramekins that would normally be used for creme brulee, but work perfectly for this. Top with Gruyere cheese and dot each ramekin with butter.
6. Right before serving, place ramekins under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until cheese is just melted. Serve with crusty bread to dip into the sauce!
More French Recipes to Try
- Julia Child’s Lobster Thermidor
- Julia Child’s Sole Meuniere
- Julia Child’s Salad Nicoise
- Julia Child’s Coq au Vin
Julia Child’s Scallops Gratineed
Julia Child's scallops gratineed is an elegant dish of gratineed scallops with shallots, white wine and broiled Gruyere cheese.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 192kcal
Cost: $15
Ingredients
- Olive oil for drizzling
- 1 large shallot diced
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 6 large scallops
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2/3 cup white wine preferably dry, such as Pinot Gris
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme leaves removed and chopped
- 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese or other Swiss cheese
Instructions
- In a skillet, saute shallots in olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter until they begin to be translucent but not browned. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside.
- Dry scallops with a paper towel and slice them in half,horizontally. Season scallops with salt and pepper and lightly dust in flour,removing any excess.
- In another skillet (or you can use the same one after removing sauteed shallots), drizzle a bit more oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Sear scallops for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.
- Pour wine into the same skillet with the scallops and add thyme, bay leaf and shallot mixture and continue cooking until wine is reduced,for another 2-3 minutes.
- Divide scallops into shallow ovenproof dishes and spoon sauce over. I like using a shallow ramekins that would normally be used for creme brulee, but work perfectly for this. Top with Gruyere cheese and doteach ramekin with butter.
- Right before serving, place ramekins under the broiler for about 2 minutes or until cheese is just melted and serve.
Notes
Dry scallops very well before searing to get a nice crust..
Larger scallops are preferred in this recipe as they can hold up to the cooking time.
Excerpted from Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Nutrition
Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 367IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 1mg
This recipe was originally published in August, 2012 and updated March, 2022 with added nutritional information and clearer instructions.
Just lovely Samantha! I hate to admit but I do break the seafood and cheese rule. Don’t get me wrong, there are some types of fish that I will never cross that line with, but I feel like with others you can make that exception. p.s. I think I have those exact same dishes!
Good Morning!
Thanks so much for the recipe!
I had these years ago in a restaurant and they were exquisite.
They were so large and served in a shell dish, around the edges they had piped mashed potatoes, before they went under the broiler.
They paired so well with the potatoes, and I have wanted them ever since.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Oh yum!!! I can’t wait to give this a try! Thanks so much for the step by step instructions 🙂
I love Scallops Gratineed and yours look divine! What a beautifully presented dish!
Thank you so much for your compliment! It is really delicious..anything Julia 🙂
I didn’t know there was a seafood and cheese rule! These look amazing though – just what I needed for some inspiration for the scallops I bought today at the market.
Haha…I always thought there was an unspoken rule to never marry cheese with fish…but rules are meant to be broken, right? Please let me know how the recipe turns out! This is so decadent!
I am from the East coast of Canada we love love love scallops
Leaving the scallops to cook an extra 5 min would make them a little more rubbery than I would like
I would think so too but they are quite soft and tender.
we thought so too, but they came out perfect
A friend of mine made this and it was delicious! What do you recommend serving with it? I was thinking maybe steamed broccoli or roasted asparagus with mashed potatoes, but what do you think?
Oh I think roasted asparagus would be lovely!! Or mashed parsnips to soak up all the delicious sauce. Honestly just some good crusty bread for the sauce would be heavenly!
I’m going to try this recipe with shrimp because I can’t find a good au gratin recipe for shrimp. I probably won’t cook the shrimp very long…can’t stand when they get ‘rubbery’. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Oh I think shrimp would be lovely with this!! Please let me know how it comes out…I eat shrimp more often than scallops so I may try soon as well!
Thank you for the recipe! Delicious!
Thank you so much!!
One of my favorite recipes. Love scallops and any day that I can enjoy them. is perfect for me.
Thank you for sharing.
creamy and comfy – perfect rainiy day meal
Such a wonderful recipe. I love cheese in just about every dish.
I love scallops but rarely prepare them at home. This looks like a wonderful way to enjoy them!