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Making this as a farewell dinner for a friend who is moving.  May or may not serve in gratin dishes.  That being said, what would be the perfect side with this.  I've thought about smashed and roasted baby potatoes or angel hair pasta.  Do you think a side of asparagus is better?  Can you give me a nice salad recommendation to round out my meal. Dessert will be apple tart tatin.  Thanks for your help!  Patti

Hi Patti!   I love a good escalivada and it is something one can prepare in advance.

Another favourite of mine is Tabbouleh, properly done is also great.

Thanks Marimar.   I never heard of an escalivada before but I looked it up and it sounded wonderful.  I must put this into my recipe file.  I saw one that had potato in it.  How would you present this with the coquilles? As an appetizer, starter or alongside.  

I would present it alongside, Escalivada is a peasant Catalan recipe, humble, but gorgeous when cooked slowly by the embers and using an excellent EVOO and a bit of diced garlic. It can also be eaten with a toast. But it tastes also good done in the oven. I use to do it with 2 big Aubergines(Eggplant), any type of Sweet big red peppers (Bell Peppers for instance) I usually put 2 too, 3 onions (or 6 small) and 3 tomatoes + EVOO + 2 garlic cloves, salt.

You just peel the onions and wash all vegetables, dry them. You put them in the 200ºC (392ºF) preheated oven for 1 hour. Do not add anything more at this stage.

When the vegetables are still warm, just out from the oven, prepare them. Peel the peppers and cut them in half to remove the inner seeds, save their inner juices. Peel the tomatoes and aubergines. Cut the onions and reserve them.

Choose a nice platter or dish and distribute the vegetables, the peppers and aubergines cut in strips, the tomatoes and onions cut as you like. Pour over them the reserved juices.

Cut as small as you can, in extremely tiny cubes, the garlic and distribute it over the vegetables. Finish it with salt and pour a good EVOO over it all, and that´s it, the simpler, the better.

Other great vegetables side dishes of this sort that now come to my mind would be Byaldi, Tian or Ratatouille, they are also quite elegant in their presentation, and you can also cook cougeres as appetizers, I love cougeres.

Thanks Marimar.  Sounds so good and easy.  Here is one for you: Bake some butternut squash, mash it with soft, golden onions and maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.  Toast some bruschettas with olive oil, S&P.  Spread some ricotta cheese over and top with the prepared squash.  It is always a big hit.  It's an Ina Garten recipe from Cooking for Jeffrey.  

Marimar - your description of roasted veggies sounded so good that I am going to be making that to go with simply brined and cooked pork chops.  I am going to add potatoes to it as well.  Thank you for the inspiration. 

I learned to make wonderful eggplant recipe from my family friends in Japan and it is something I love to serve with chilled wine or chilled drinks.  Thinly slice Japanese or other Asian style eggplants in rounds. Cook in skillet both sides until lightly browned with some olive oil.  Remove and and continue cooking all the slices.  To the cooked eggplant slices, add minced garlic, splash of sake, splash of rice vinegar or other vinegar.  Toss well.  Right before serving, add few drops of soy sauce.  So good. 

Pattik47 and Rinshin: Thank you for those wonderful tips too! <3, I will surely do them, I love Butternut pumpkin and Eggplant, well... let´s say I specially love vegetables, and those are very original ways of preparing them and I bet they taste incredible.

I would go with something filling as coquilles st jacques are quite light... maybe a potato based dish like potato salad with crab, cream and chives.

Of the top of my head I also think onions and leek fondue with a nice surdough, or a risotto, maybe asparagus risotto I am thinking?

I think the Mediterranean options are nice too, but they would go better if the coquilles st jacques are not served in gratin dishes, somehow I don't think it goes together - but that could be just me being weird.