Ode aan: Rockefeller Scallops

12-09-2020

Grégory Nicole from Brasserie Le Nord in Bilthoven presents an ode to the scallop he serves as ‘Coquille Rockefeller’.

Scallop: the mantle shell, Saint-Jacques shell or, in French, coquille Saint-Jacques.

It is a mollusk that lives flat on the seabed and feeds on plankton and other floating food particles. It is mainly found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Choice in scallops

Our assortment of scallops is varied and partly depends on the method of fishing. With the (French) trawl-net method, scallops are dragged from the seabed with large nets. As a result, they can become slightly damaged and contain some sand. In, among others, Norway, scallops are also collected by hand. This is more labor-intensive and expensive, but yields undamaged shells and has a much lower negative impact on the seabed. The supply of these hand-collected scallops – which are delivered live – depends on the weather.

In addition to these wild scallops in the shell, you also have a choice of farmed scallops in a jar from Japan or the USA and Canadian scallops in cans. The latter are somewhat larger and firmer than those in a jar and lose less moisture during cooking.

Scallop in the kitchen

The white, juicy meat contained in the shell is what we call the “nut.” Alongside it is the orange roe, or coral. Although we consider the nut the ultimate delicacy, the roe – for example, when sautéed – is also very tasty. It can impart its color to (fish) sauces and, when dried and ground to a powder, forms a beautiful orange decoration.

The white nut is versatile: it can be baked, roasted, grilled, and poached. Even when served raw in thin slices, the nut shines. Flavor companions for scallops are products with earthy flavors such as cauliflower, celeriac, (belly) bacon, and truffles.

Grégory Nicole, Brasserie Le Nord in Bilthoven

After arriving in the Netherlands, Frenchman Grégory Nicole (42 years old) worked, among other places, as sous-chef at Au Coin des Bon Enfants in Maastricht and Le Garage in Amsterdam. The French Café in Amsterdam was his first restaurant of his own, and since 2015 he has been the owner of Brasserie Le Nord in Bilthoven, which he runs together with his wife Lieke and which has been recognized with a Bib Gourmand by Michelin. The menu features French classics such as bouillabaisse, steak tartare, and confit de canard, executed with a modern and somewhat lighter twist.

Scallops almost always on the menu

Grégory loves working with scallops; they are almost always on the menu. Grégory: “Sometimes they are part of the bouillabaisse, or I slice them raw into thin pieces and serve them with a cucumber sorbet. When sautéed, I, for example, combine them with cured pork, oyster leaf, caviar, and brioche.”

Short lines

Since the start of Le Nord, Driessen has supplied a large part of the fresh products. Grégory: “In addition to a good price and quality, Driessen’s service is excellent. I order late in the evening and by early morning everything is already in the kitchen. The care with which the products are handled is top-notch, for example, the vegetables are well packaged. I also order regional products; it is very convenient that I can obtain many regional products through one supplier. They are easily reachable and the lines are short – I find such a collaboration very important. The VersAcademie is professionally interesting, and a company visit to Driessen is always inspiring because I get new ideas.”

Coquilles Rockefeller

Grégory has created his variant of “Oysters Rockefeller” for us, using scallops instead of oysters. He replaces the béchamel sauce with a hollandaise sauce to make the dish lighter. For this dish – and all his other scallop dishes – Grégory uses hand-collected Norwegian scallops.