Baked Scallops

I've been on a seafood kick of late.  Scallops and shrimp have been my crustaceans of choice, and scallops make an appearance again today.  Ann at Thibeault's Table discovered this recipe at another blog, Bell'alimento.  Both posts piqued my interest.  Both posts contain gorgeous photos.  Both posts compelled me to have to make this dish.  And, THUS.... I did.  And, my friends, am I ever glad I did!  So unbelievably simple to put together, I incorporated Ann's tweaks to the original recipe and tweaked a little myself.  I buttered the baking dishes and used a Meyer lemon for the juice and zest.  Meyer lemons aren't quite as tart as a traditional lemon.  The season is limited and so I incorporate them into my dishes as much as I can while they're available.  They were wonderful with the scallops.  The one thing I didn't do, and which I would encourage any and all who make this dish to do, is use fresh breadcrumbs.  They would have definitely added a wonderful texture to the baked scallops that finer dried breadcrumbs lacked.  At any rate, the sweetness of the scallops still shown through the rest of the ingredients.  Delectable!

Baked Scallops

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 pound bay scallops
sea salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs, sauteed in 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Into a small bowl pce the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic,lemon zest, parsley and scallops. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Set aside.

Butter 2 ramekins. Using a slotted spoon place enough scallops into each ramekin so that they’re 3/4 full or equally divided between the 2 ramekins. Top with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs per ramekin and a 1/2 teaspoon butter each.  Bake until golden and bubbly, approximately 10-15 minutes.


Source: Thibeault's Table and Bell'alimento