Blanquette of Scallops

Name: Blanquette of Scallops
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 1 pound sea scallops, rubbery tendon removed, scallops patted dry; 1/3 cup finely chopped onion; 1/2 cup dry white wine; 1 cup chicken stock, or more if needed; 4 medium-size new potatoes, about 12 ounces total, peeled and cut in eighths; Salt and ground white pepper; 8 ounces thin asparagus, ends snapped off, slant-cut in inch-long pieces; 3 tablespoons crème fraîche; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

By Florence Fabricant

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 5(636)
Comments: Read comments

Spring for me means discarding dark sauces and turning toward ingredients that are light and green. Here I’m inspired by the French blanquette, a stew, usually veal, in a creamy white sauce. I replaced the veal with plump sea scallops and brightened the whole thing with verdant, seasonal asparagus. Traditionally a blanquette is thickened with egg yolks and has pearl onions and often button mushrooms in the mix. The onion is in my version, but minced. I also omitted the mushrooms and used new potatoes that, unlike the mushrooms, help thicken a sauce made without the egg yolks. The result is a dish that’s fancy enough for guests yet easy enough for a weeknight.

Featured in: 2016 Dry German Rieslings: Graceful, Resonant, Delicious

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1tablespoon unsalted butter
1pound sea scallops, rubbery tendon removed, scallops patted dry
⅓cup finely chopped onion
½cup dry white wine
1cup chicken stock, or more if needed
4medium-size new potatoes, about 12 ounces total, peeled and cut in eighths
Salt and ground white pepper
8ounces thin asparagus, ends snapped off, slant-cut in inch-long pieces
3tablespoons crème fraîche
1teaspoon lemon juice
1tablespoon minced fresh dill

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Melt butter over medium heat in a 12-inch sauté pan or skillet that has a cover. Increase heat to medium-high, add scallops and sauté no more than a minute until very lightly browned, then turn them once with tongs to color the other side. They will be undercooked. Remove to a bowl and cover loosely with foil.
Step 2
Reduce heat to low, add onions and sauté a couple of minutes, until soft but not brown. Stir in wine, scraping bottom of pan, and add ¾ cup of the stock. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on medium-low 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a paring knife.
Step 3
Stir ingredients in the pan. Add asparagus and remaining stock. Cook uncovered about 3 minutes, until asparagus are just tender. If liquid in the pan is reducing too much — there should be a saucelike amount — add a little more stock. Stir in crème fraîche, cook briefly until sauce thickens to a creamy consistency.
Step 4
Return scallops and any juices they release to the pan, cook another 2 minutes, basting scallops and potatoes with sauce. Add lemon juice. Taste sauce for seasoning. Transfer blanquette to a serving dish, shower with dill and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5

636 user ratings

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Comments

Stephen F6 years ago

This is very good, but I have two suggestions. In Step 1, get the skillet extremely hot, toss in the butter and then quickly add the scallops for a dark sear. Remove them right away, and they'll still be undercooked, but they will taste and look better when you're done. In fact, they will look like the stylist's photo accompanying this recipe. In Step 3, assess your situation before adding more stock. Otherwise, your problem won't be sauce that's too thick; it may be sauce that's too thin.

Nick7 years ago

I've made over 60 recipes from NYTimes Cooking and this one stands out. It's fairly simple to make yet has a lot of finesse. If I were to make it again, and I am certain I will, I would not change anything. The creme fraiche adds just the right amount of creaminess without making the dish heavy. The potatoes are nearly as tempting as the scallops. I was tempted to add pancetta for additional flavour but am so glad I didn't. Bravo Florence!

Maggie6 years ago

This recipe is delicious! I added mushrooms for some nuttiness and it was very good. I have cooked a bunch of recipes from NY Times, but this one is definitely one of my favorites. I cooked it for the entire family, and everyone was pleased.

momo2 weeks ago

We and guests very impressed. I thought it would be odd to use potatoes, but it was lovely. We also used shallots instead of onion. Didn’t have any fresh herbs so we just skipped that. I think I might try chives the next time.

AS1 month ago

This was great and easy. I added mushrooms and used green beans in place of asparagus. I didn’t have cream so I used full fat yogurt mixed with a teaspoon of flour (to prevent curdling). I also didn’t have a lemon, so I replaced with juice from 1/4 of an orange and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Very adaptable recipe as long as you hit the fat, acid, and heat!

Cookie2 months ago

This is delicious but a little awkward: the potatoes need to be cut smaller—they should be less than a mouthful. The sauce is too thin. Mostly drain the potato/asparagus mixture before adding crème fraiche.

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