Coquilles Saint-Jacques Sautees a la Provencale

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   Dry the scallops in paper towels, then place on a large sheet of waxed paper.

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   Sprinkle with drops of lemon juice, then with salt and pepper.

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   The moment before sauteing, dredge with flour and shake in a sieve to dislodge excess flour.

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   Film the 10 inch, non stick frying pan with a 1/16-inch layer of oil.

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   When almost smoking, add the scallops.

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   Toss for 4 to 5 minutes until scallops are lightly browned.

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   Then toss for a moment with the shallots or scallions, and garlic; finally toss with the butter and parsley and serve.

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   Suggested accompaniments: If the scallops are a first course, accompany with French bread.

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   For a main course, accompany with broiled tomatoes and green beans.

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    Notes: Sauteed scallops should be crisp light brown outside and moistly tender inside.

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    Keys to success are: have your sauteing oil very hot before the scallops go in, and have no more than one layer of scallops in the pan.

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    Otherwise the scallops will steam, exude moisture, and will not brown.

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    You may find, in using frozen scallops, that they will start out nicely, then suddenly release juices in the pan; to avoid this, blanch them before cooking by dropping them in a large pan of rapidly boiling water and bringing them quickly back to the boil

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.