Sea scallops are one of the specialties of Brittany. In this very simple recipe they are baked with butter and breadcrumbs, and the results are much better than I would have imagined. It was the favorite dish of a couple of my guests.

The recipe as it is calls for too much butter, though most of it remains at the bottom of the rameskin so it's not consumed. Still, you could probably reduce the amount of butter with no ill effect. The slightly salted Breton butter would be ideal for this dish. I did't have access to it so I just used salted butter, if you use unsalted you may want to adjust the salt accordingly.

---

Coquilles Saint-Jacques a la Bretonne

Ingredients

• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small shallot, finely minced
• 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 14 large sea scallops, washed, dried & quartered
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

  Instructions

  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

  In a small bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, parsley, bread crumbs and salt and pepper.

  Spoon a little bit of the melted butter into the bottom of each of six individual ramekins. Add half of the parsley mixture. Add the scallops. Cover with the remaining parsley mixture. Drizzle with the remaining butter and the lemon juice.

  Place ramekins on a baking sheet and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the scallops turn white and are cooked through.
  
  

  Adapted from a recipe from The Impressionists' Table: A Celebration of Regional French Food Through the Palettes of the Great Impressionists by Pamela Todd