Easy Coquilles Saint-Jacques - Under 500 Calories

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1
   Step 1

   Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan-forced).

2. 2
   Step 2

   Prepare the scallops – Pat them dry with paper towel. Remove the little side muscle (the “foot”) if you see it, it's edible but gets chewy when cooked. Set aside until needed.

3. 3
   Step 3

   Cheesy Crust: Mix the crust ingredients and set aside until needed.

4. 4
   Step 4

   Mushroom Béchamel Sauce: Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the eschalot and mushrooms. Stir regularly and cook for 4–5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft.

5. 5
   Step 5

   Add flour. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. It will look a bit pasty, that’s normal.

6. 6
   Step 6

   Pour in the hot milk and cream. Then stir until incorporated and lump free.

7. 7
   Step 7

   Thicken – Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, then stir well. When you see the first small bubbles appearing, let it cook for 30 seconds, then take it off the stove. It should be more pourable than a regular Béchamel, so it spreads easily around the scallops.

8. 8
   Step 8

   Assemble: Season the scallops with salt and divide them between 4 shallow ramekins. (We use flat round ramekins: 11cm / 4.3" diameter, 2.5cm / 1" deep.)

9. 9
   Step 9

   Sauce – Cover scallops with ALL the mushroom béchamel. Make sure to fill up all the gaps. Flatten the surface with a small spatula or the back of a spoon.

10. 10
    Step 10

    Cheesy crust – Scatter the cheesy crust evenly over each ramekin, right to the edges. We want a golden top with no empty spots.

11. 11
    Step 11

    Bake – Place ramekins on a tray and bake 20 minutes until golden.

12. 12
    Step 12

    Serve – Rest 2 minutes, then serve.