It is the start of scallop season in Normandy, and we put it to the test in the fishing village of Port en Bessin

Scallops are "Cocquilles Saint Jacques" in French. Now I have had these before, for sure. But when they are new in-season, and absolutely fresh, they are quite unlike the rather chewy rendition that one gets used to.

These were feather-light, and soft as air. They split open with the gentlest pressure of a fork.

Went to a restaurant on the Channel Coast, in the village of Port en Bessein, with an old friend of mine, Andy Fischer from Emory days.

The restaurant had a large window giving onto the sea, while around the corner was an inlet which held a fisherman's port. The port is a real, working one, the only one for a long way in either direction along the Channel coast. The view from the window was of the pleasure boat portion, which is but a small part of the whole. When you go around the corner from the restaurant, and look inland, the bay is packed with shipping boats. They dock along the inlet, instead of in the open port.

Besides the scallops, the most beautiful part of the lunch were the seagulls that flew, and dipped and swirled in front of us, as if we were in an aviary theatre.

(Note: The good-looking photos below are not by me.)

The full name is Port en Bessin Huppain. It is right above Bayeux on the coast.