Coquilles Saint-Jacques with Champagne

This recipe calls for sea scallops. Sea scallops are not those horrible little pencil erasers (a.k.a. calico scallops), nor the scallops that come in a plastic tub, marinating in some mysterious liquid. What you want are what’s called, in the industry, “dry” sea scallops. Tell your fish guy. If he doesn’t have them, tell him you’re willing to wait. What you are looking for will be a fairly sizable, dry, almost sticky, sweet-smelling thing—decidedly not waterlogged. They’re pri