I grew up in Nova Scotia and was introduced to seafood at any early age. My favourites are lobster, shrimp, scallops, oysters and mussels. We were fortunate enough to be able to get fresh shrimp direct from the boats and live lobster dropped off at our home. I love going to Normandy and Brittany to eat fresh plateau de fruits de mer (large platter of mixed seafood) and pick up some fish and seafood at the waterside marchés to bring back to Paris with me (safely tucked inside a cooler in the trunk of my car for the +/-3 hour drive).
My local marchés (Avenue de Saxe and Boulevard de Grenelle) have several poissonnières where I can indulge my cravings a little closer to home when things are in season and not too expensive. Noix de Saint Jacques (large sea scallops) are usually sold in the shell and the fishmongers will shuck them for you but they leave the corail (red roe) on. The roe is edible but I do not particularly care for it and remove it when I do the final cleaning at home. In Paris, the smaller bay scallops tend to be sold already cleaned. In Normandy, they are sold in the shells and you will have to shuck them yourself but this is easy enough to do.
Seafood and pasta dishes make for simple and elegant meals to impress your friends. Fettuccine with Scallops and Mushrooms has been a favourite since I discovered it in the early 1980’s. In this dish I use small bay scallops and champignons de Paris (white mushrooms). I prefer to use larger sea scallops where they can be used whole. To add a colourful twist, use squid ink fettuccine and add a shot of Pernod to give the dish an anise flavour.
Fettuccine with Scallops & Mushrooms
Serves 4
45 mL (3 Tbsp) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
250g (1/2 lb) mushrooms, sliced (if mushrooms are large, cut in half before slicing)
375 g (3/4 lb) bay scallops (or sea scallops, quartered)
5 mL (1 tsp) lemon zest, finely grated
250 mL (1 cup) whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 mL (1/4 tsp) nutmeg
500 g (1 lb) fettuccine noodles
45 mL (3 Tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped
In a large skillet, melt butter, stir in garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant but not coloured. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until soft and any liquid in pan has evaporated. Add scallops and cook for 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest and cream and bring to a boil. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
Cook fettuccini in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Just before pasta is ready, reheat sauce. Drain fettuccine well and place in large pasta bowl or platter. Toss well. Sprinkle with parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings.
My local marchés (Avenue de Saxe and Boulevard de Grenelle) have several poissonnières where I can indulge my cravings a little closer to home when things are in season and not too expensive. Noix de Saint Jacques (large sea scallops) are usually sold in the shell and the fishmongers will shuck them for you but they leave the corail (red roe) on. The roe is edible but I do not particularly care for it and remove it when I do the final cleaning at home. In Paris, the smaller bay scallops tend to be sold already cleaned. In Normandy, they are sold in the shells and you will have to shuck them yourself but this is easy enough to do.
Seafood and pasta dishes make for simple and elegant meals to impress your friends. Fettuccine with Scallops and Mushrooms has been a favourite since I discovered it in the early 1980’s. In this dish I use small bay scallops and champignons de Paris (white mushrooms). I prefer to use larger sea scallops where they can be used whole. To add a colourful twist, use squid ink fettuccine and add a shot of Pernod to give the dish an anise flavour.
Fettuccine with Scallops & Mushrooms
Serves 4
45 mL (3 Tbsp) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
250g (1/2 lb) mushrooms, sliced (if mushrooms are large, cut in half before slicing)
375 g (3/4 lb) bay scallops (or sea scallops, quartered)
5 mL (1 tsp) lemon zest, finely grated
250 mL (1 cup) whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 mL (1/4 tsp) nutmeg
500 g (1 lb) fettuccine noodles
45 mL (3 Tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped
In a large skillet, melt butter, stir in garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant but not coloured. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until soft and any liquid in pan has evaporated. Add scallops and cook for 1 minute. Stir in lemon zest and cream and bring to a boil. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
Cook fettuccini in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Just before pasta is ready, reheat sauce. Drain fettuccine well and place in large pasta bowl or platter. Toss well. Sprinkle with parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings.
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