Scallops

There are many ways of cooking scallops. In America, tiny bay scallops - ½ to 1 inch in diameter - are rolled in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in hot fat or oil, or brushed with paprika-flavoured butter and cooked under the grill in heat-proof ramekins. In Britain and France, we prefer our scallops large, at least 2 inches in diameter complete with coral tongues, and they are cooked in a variety of ways. At the Caprice, Mario Gallati serves a deliciously simple old English speciality-deep-fried scallops with bacon. The scallops are egg-and-breadcrumbed, fried to golden perfection in hot oil, and served with crisp-fried bacon. Delicious. Tom Parr, one of Britain’s leading young decorators and designers, produced a superb gratin of scallops Mornay as the first course of a London dinner party. The scallops, poached in a white wine court-bouillon, were served in a thick Mornay Sauce enriched with egg yolks and double cream. But perhaps my favourite way of cooking these delicious shellfish is the following.