Virtual Cooking Demo: St James Scallops The Galician Way

Bake St James Scallops the Galician Way

On this virtual cooking demo, you get in touch with the Galician culture and gastronomy through a cooking class/demo where you will make the recipe of the St James Baked Scallops. Come into Sean & Angie's Kitchen and learn how to bake this tasty Galician Seafood dish! We will also talk about the local gastronomy, the fresh products of the area, the Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James), and of course the Galician wine that we will pair with our seafood dish! This dish is served in Galicia as a starter dish so it could serve 4 people if one scallop each, or 2 people if you want 2 each.

Camino de Santiago (The Way of Saint James)

In this virtual cooking demo, you will learn about the different routes of The Way of Saint James, its history, and its tradition. One of the most important Christian pilgrimages in the world, learn how the pilgrims reach the final destination of the Way of Saint James to the glorious Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela to admire the tomb of the apostle St James the Great. Discover what the pilgrims eat through their journey to the city of Santiago de Compostela, rich gastronomy with a wide variety of fresh locally grown products.

Cooking Class of Galician Food and Wine

We will also talk about the Galician food: cheeses, fish, seafood, meats, etc... the traditional Galician dishes and not forgetting the fine wine of this region. You will get to know the different wine varieties made with local grape like: Albariño, Godello, Treixadura, Mencía, etc... as well as the different apellations of origin: D.O Rías Baixas, D.O Ribeiro, D.O Ribeira Sacra, etc...

After this virtual cooking demo/class led by locals, you will have a whole overview of Galicia, the city of Santiago de Compostela, the Way of Saint James, and the Galician food and wine!

Ingredients for the St James Baked Scallops

• 4 scallops (King Scallops, best from Galicia or the Atlantic Ocean but others as well are good too! Either fresh or frozen could work too thawed out.)
• 2 onions (mid-size onions)
• 1 Green pepper
• 1 Clove of garlic
• *4 Slices of chopped cured ham (Either Spanish Serrano or even the Porco Celta, Celtic Pig of Galicia which we will use)
• 1 Saffron powder packet (You can get Spanish Saffron powder in individual packets in a small box, Pote is a good brand)
• 125 cl of Extra Virgen Olive oil (Spanish or even Galician, we are using Aceites Abril)
• 1/2 a glass of white wine (Galician white wine like Albariño or Condado of the Rias Baixas, are the best option, but other white wines will work as well!)
• Fine bread crumbs

*NOTE: If you do not eat meat then you can make the dish without the cured ham.

Step by Step Preparation of the Saint James Baked Scallops

1. If you buy fresh scallops in their shell previously clean the scallops just leaving with the scallop and the roe (OK as well if you don’t want the roe) and place them back in the shell. If frozen and already cleaned let thaw out before. If you can not get scallops in a shell, then you can use a tiny clay casserole if you can find one! During the demo we will start by chopping the onion, garlic, and pepper.
2. Sauté over moderate heat in olive oil. Once poached the ingredients we add the wine and saffron, cook for a few of minutes more. Then add the bits of the cured Spanish ham. Just needs a bit more in the pan since it will go in the oven.
3. Cover the scallops with the poached vegetables/ham and sprinkle on the bread crumbs.
4. Pre-heat the Oven at 200º with heat below and above. Put the scallops on an oven tray and bake at 180ºc for approximately 10 min. approx. depending on the size of the scallops, keep an eye on the browning.

Kitchen utensils and equipment for the St James Baked Scallops

• Chopping board
• Knife
• Small Bowls (if you want to separate the ingredients)
• Oven
• Tablespoon / wooden spoon