In a small to medium saucepan, bring the wine and shallots to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and let the wine boil, reducing carefully for about 25-30 minutes or until there’s almost no liquid left at all. (Make sure to stay close to your pan during the final few minutes to avoid burning.)

In the meantime, rinse the scallops well, and drain. Place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Drying the scallops is important if you want them to sear nicely.

Add the fish stock or clam juice to the wine mixture and bring to the boil again over medium heat. Let the mixture boil for about 5-6 minutes, skimming as necessary.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, and slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Bring this mixture back to the boil and continue reducing (simmering) for about 15 minutes, whisking often, until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove the saucepan from the heat but leave it in a warm place.

Cook the scallops: Melt the tablespoon of butter in a wide skillet or non-stick pan, or two of them if needed, and when it starts to foam, add the oil. Swirl the fats around the pan, return to heat for about 1 minute, and add the scallops, spacing them generously.

After about 3 minutes, check the underside of a scallop – if it is nicely browned, you can turn over all the scallops quickly. Remove the skillet from the heat source entirely, cover the pan well, and let the scallops sit while you finish the sauce.

In the meantime, add the lemon juice and salt to the sauce. Whisk.

Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat again and add the butter cubes a few at a time, whisking well as you go to incorporate the butter fully before adding more.

Add the herbs to the sauce and stir.

Spoon the sauce first onto slightly warmed plates, and then place 5 scallops on each plate. If you like, garnish with extra herbs.