Description
Baked Scallops will make your seafood dinner feel like a restaurant-quality feast right at home. Tender ocean gems emerge golden and succulent from the oven, seasoned with buttery herbs that elevate your meal from simple to spectacular.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 pound dry sea scallops
Aromatics and Seasonings:
- 3 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley
- 1 small lemon
Binding and Texture:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Coat an 8×8-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil, ensuring complete coverage.
- Thoroughly pat 1 pound of dry sea scallops with paper towels. Remove any side muscle. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper over the scallops.
- Melt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter in a skillet. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and ½ cup panko breadcrumbs. Toast for 1 minute until golden and aromatic.
- Remove breadcrumb mixture from heat. Fold in lemon zest from 1 small lemon, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Drizzle half the lemon juice over placed scallops in the baking dish. Distribute breadcrumb mixture evenly across the surface.
- Slide baking dish into the 400°F oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes until scallops turn opaque and breadcrumb topping becomes crisp.
- Finish by drizzling remaining lemon juice over the baked scallops. Serve immediately while hot and golden.
Notes
- Fresh scallops make a huge difference, so choose plump, shiny ones without strong fishy odors.
- Pat scallops completely dry to ensure a beautiful golden crust and prevent steaming instead of browning.
- Use panko breadcrumbs for extra crispiness, which gives a delightful crunch to the delicate seafood.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute panko with almond meal or gluten-free breadcrumbs to maintain the crisp texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 268 kcal
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 247 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg