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After high school, I lived in the south of France, and let’s just say I may have eaten my weight in mussels and fries. The craving hit hard the other day, and long story short, that was my inspiration for this Scallop Frites recipe. These scallops are broiled till golden and bursting with flavor. One bite and you will feel like you’re dining in France.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Scallop Frites
You’re going to fall head over heels for this Scallop Frites recipe. It’s the kind of dish that is fancy but without all the fuss. This recipe takes buttery scallops with smoky chorizo and broils them until golden, and it is the best combination. You might have some leftover chorizo butter, but trust me, add that to ANYTHING and you’ll love it.
Prep Like a Pro
Get Those Restaurant Quality Fries – Make sure you let the potatoes soak for an hour. Then make sure you dry them thoroughly. These two things make such a big difference in getting the perfect crisp. Fry in batches because if you dump too many in at once, it lowers the temperature and you will end up with limp, soggy fries.
Chorizo Butter – Feel free to make this the day before and store it in the fridge. You need to remember to taste, taste, taste. Always taste check your food along the way and adjust to your taste preferences.
Remove the Scallop Foot – Pinch the small rectangular tissue that is tougher on the side of the scallop and it should pull away easily.
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🔥Chef Nadia’s Tip🔥
- Buy ‘dry’ scallops, this means they are not previously injected with water and sodium tripolyphosphate. You want dry scallops because they develop a nice hard sear when you cook them as opposed to wet scallops that release that liquid while cooking.
- Make sure you broil these Scallop Frites on the middle rack. If you don’t, they will burn before you can cook them through, so this is important.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitutions
- Soy Sauce → Use tamari for a gluten-free Scallop Frites option.
- U-15 Scallops → If you can’t find U-15s, you can use smaller scallops. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time (they’ll broil faster!).
- Variations
- No Scallop Variation → Swap your protein for shrimp, lobster tails, or even cauliflower if you want a seafood free variation.
- Cajun Variation → Use Andouille sausage and add some Cajun seasoning to the butter to make these Scallop Frites have a Cajun twist.
The Perfect Pairings
To pair with these delicious Scallop Frites, a nice Milky Martini would be delicious. On the side, a nice fresh Arugula Fennel Salad, because you always need a salad. If you want something a little more filling on the side you can always go with an easy Cherry Tomato Pasta. Finish the night with a light Melon Dessert.
Scallop Frites: Questions Answered
The shells I am using in this Scallop Frites recipe are natural shells I had from another batch of scallops. They are about 2 inches wide and Amazon does carry some baking shells that should work.
Sure! You can make the chorizo butter up to 3 days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before using.
You can use mini oven-safe dishes. If you don’t have that I use a small oven safe dish and make it a communal scallop dish. Each person can spoon out what they would like to eat.
Broil these scallops until you have a golden sear and they feel firm to the touch. If they get rubbery, you have overcooked them. Keep an eye on the clock and make sure they’re on the middle rack.
Scallop Frites
Equipment
- large bowl
- pan
- pot
- 2 inch baking shells, optional, but adorable!
Ingredients
- 1 russett potato, large
- ice water, for fries
- 2 shallots, rough chop
- 1 garlic clove, large, rough chop
- ¼ large fennel bulb, chopped
- 5 oz spanish chorizo, or spicy Italian sausage
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 1 lemon, zest, juice for topping
- 3 tbsp chives, chopped, + more for topping
- ⅓ cup parsley, chopped
- 8 oz unsalted butter
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp agave
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper
- 12 scallops, u-15
- oil, for frying
- dijonaise, a mix of dijon mustard and mayonnaise, for dipping fries, optional
Instructions
- Clean and peel your potato. Trim the ends off the potato. (Optional: you can square off the other sides of the potato to make a rectangle for more uniform French fries, but it isn't necessary) Stand the potato up and cut it vertically into thin planks about ⅛ thick. Keep them stack but lay them down and cut again into ⅛ pieces to make your shoe string fries. Let them rest in ice water for 1 hour.
- In a pan add a little bit of olive oil on medium high head and sauté the shallot, garlic, fennel and chorizo and cook until golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add wine and deglaze, let it reduce by ½. Add lemon zest, chives and parsley. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- To a food processor, add the chorizo mixture, butter, vinegar, agave, soy sauce, crushed peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
- Remove the foot of the scallops and chop into ½ cubes.
- Preheat a pot with about 5 inches of olive oil to 375°F. Drain the fries and pat them dry. Add them to the preheated oil and fry until golden. Hit them with salt immediately while hot.
- Place 12 baking shells on a baking sheet. If you don't have baking shells, use any mini oven safe dishes. Pipe the chorizo butter mixture on the bottom, top with some scallops and another dollop of butter. Broil on high in the middle rack for 6-8 minutes or until golden.
- Serve topped with lemon and chives and the crispy fries on the side and dijonaise as a dipping sauce if you'd like. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
