A feast on the Feast of Saint James the Greater: Coquilles St. Jacques à la Provençale

As we commemorate the feast of Saint James the Greater, a feast is in order! Those of you who read the blog may not know that I am also a trained chef, so feast days such as this allow me to combine my love of the Lord and the Catholic faith tradition with my love of cooking!

In Compostela, a week long festival in honor of the great saint is held every year, with dramatic liturgy, beautiful local costumes, Galician bagpipe music, dancing, and of course wonderful food!

One of the traditional dishes is Coquilles St. Jacques à la Provençale. Nothing could be more appropriate, for the scallop shell has been, for hundreds of years, the symbol of Santiago—as described here, is worn as an emblem by all pilgrims to the shrine.

Coquilles St. Jacques à la Provençale
(Scallops on the "pilgrim" shell)

Serves 6


1 teaspoon each: Finely chopped chervil, chives, parsley, tarragon
1 small bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon thyme
2 cups dry white wine
2 TBSP butter
1/3 cup yellow onions, minced
1 1/2 TBSP minced leeks
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds washed sea scallops, sliced thin
3/4 cup sifted flour, seasoned with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper
2 TBSP olive oil
6 buttered scallop shells
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated good-quality Gruyère cheese
2 TBSP butter in 6 pieces




1) Steep herbs (chervil, chives, parsley, tarragon, bay leaf, and thyme) gently in white wine for at least half an hour. Wine should reduce by half (leaving approximately 1 cup). Remove bay leaf.
2) Gently sauté onions and leeks in butter in sauce pan for about five minutes, or until they are tender and translucent but not brown. Stir in garlic and sauté slowly 1 minute more. Add wine mixture, bringing to gentle simmer.
3) Wash and pat dry scallops, slicing each horizontally into 4 even slices. Dredge in seasoned flour.
4) Heat sauté pan until very hot. Add olive oil. Sauté scallops quickly until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add wine mixture, covering and letting cook for approximately 5 minutes.
5) Remove scallops and let remaining liquid reduce until thickened.
6) Grind fresh bread with gruyere cheese. Sauté cheese and bread crumbs in butter. Spoon scallops and sauce into buttered shells. Sprinkle with bread mixture.
7) Just before serving, run under moderately hot broiler 3 to 4 minutes to heat through and melt cheese.


Serve with rice and a green vegetable, and a good white wine. Enjoy!