Scallops with White Wine and Mushrooms: An Elegant Way to Prepare Scallops

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Scallops with White Wine and Mushrooms 


This is a simply elegant and divine way of preparing a tasty scallop dinner and different from the ordinary. I came upon this recipe over twenty years ago but did some changes with it. The original recipe called for red wine, however, I switched it to a light white wine, like a Chablis, as I found that when the red wine was mixed with the tomato sauce it reacted and the combined color nearly looked purple so therefore not very appitizing. I also added to the recipe mushrooms which I love adding to a lot of my meals. This is a time consuming meal to prepare but well worth it, as it's simply divine!

Scallops with White Wine and Mushrooms

1 lb. bay or sea scallops ( prefer the larger sea scallops )

¾ cups water

squeeze of lemon juice

3 tablespoons of butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup (¼ lb) mushrooms, washed, stem removed and sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

¾ cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

¾ cup white wine (Chablis works best)

2 small or medium sized tomatoes, cut into 8 equal pieces

¼ cup breadcrumbs

¼ melted butter

Mashed potatoes (for piping)

1 tablespoon chopped parsley (fresh is best rather than dried)

4 large scallop dishes (yes the real thing) or can in a pinch use individual heatproof dishes. **

It's best to prepare the mashed potatoes first. Clean and pare two or three rather large sized potatoes and boil until done. Mash the potatoes the method you prefer and set aside. In my experience it's best to have a bit too much of the mashed potatoes then wind up with too little. If you do wind up having leftovers one can make small potato pancakes out of the remainder.

In a saucepan, combine the scallops with water and lemon juice and poach for 3-4 minutes. Once cooked remove from heat and set aside.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add the onion, mushrooms and garlic and cook until onions are transparent (not browned) and mushrooms are tender. Add flour to this mixture, blending in, then slowly add the chicken stock and blend by gently whisking mixture. Next add the tomato paste and also blend in and simmer for about 2 or 3 minutes. Add the wine and tomatoes and continue to simmer on low heat, while stirring mixture. Drain the scallops and add them to the tomato/wine mixture and stir and blend in.

Taking each scallop shell (or heatproof dish) using a pasty bag, place mashed potatoes into the bag and pipe the potatoes around near the edge of the shell, making a thick "border" and be sure to "seal" the ends of the potatoes to create a spill proof border that will hold the scallop mixture. Spoon in equal amounts of the scallop mixture in the center of each shell. Place the shells on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle on equal portions of the breadcrumbs on top of the scallop mixture and drizzle on some of the melted butter and bake in a 350º F oven for about 15 minutes.

When ready to serve, place equal amounts of the chopped parsley as a garnish on top of each scallop dish as a garnish

**While it's not absolutely necessary to have real scallop shells to serve this dish, it does look better. For as they say presentation is everything.

You may wish to serve another side dish of vegetables of your choice, such as green beans, but this is a surprisingly hearty and filling meal.

Bon appétit