SCALLOPS ST JACQUES

Serves 4

Although coquilles St Jacques simply means “scallops” in French, it also refers to the classic dish of scallops poached in wine, with a grilled breadcrumb crust, served in the shell. This variation has Pernod in the sauce and puff pastry around the edge.

1 carrot, peeled 1 celery stalk 1 onion, peeled 1 garlic clove, peeled 10g butter Tiny pinch sea salt 10ml Pernod or other aniseedbased spirit

100ml white wine 50ml double cream 4 large hand-dived scallops

150g ready-made puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

Plain flour, for dusting 1 egg, beaten

This recipe is all about precision knife skills. Take your time to cut a dozen matchsticks of carrot, a dozen 4mm cubes of celery and a dozen 4mm squares of onion. Slice the garlic clove into 8 very thin slices. Put all the vegetables along with the butter and salt in a small pan set over a very gentle heat.

Melt the butter and warm the vegetables for 15-20 minutes; they should not sizzle in the pan but cook slowly until just tender and translucent. Add the Pernod and white wine and bring to a low simmer for about 5 minutes to boil off the alcohol, then add the cream and take off the heat. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Prepare the scallops by removing the meat and the roe if it is a bright orange colour, then cleaning out the shells. Set aside.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 30x20cm, then cut into 4 long strips. Place 1 scallop with the roe, if using, 3 carrot sticks, 3 celery cubes, 3 onion pieces and 2 slices of garlic in each shell. Spoon over the sauce until the shells are two-thirds full then place the tops on the shells. Brush the edges with beaten egg, then wrap a pastry strip around each edge to seal. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg. (At this stage, the filled scallops can be kept for up to 24 hours in the fridge before baking.)

Place the scallops on a baking sheet, using a little crumpled foil as a base to stop them from rolling. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes, then remove and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.