Crispy Baked Scallops with a buttery crispy topping made with panko, Parmesan cheese and spices. Makes a great holiday appetizer or main dish!
Scallops are a delicious shellfish that has a rich yet sweet flavor, a springy texture and tastes absolutely fantastic with a buttery topping. For more scallop recipes, try my Pan Seared Scallops and indulgent Scallop Gratin!
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Baked Scallops
If you want a classy dinner without going to a gourmet restaurant, this is the recipe for you! Baking scallops locks in the sweet delicious flavor while cooking them to a tender, soft perfection. The buttery crispy topping is the perfect touch to take a classic seafood dish to the next level.
The golden brown, flavorful topping for the scallops combines paprika, black pepper, Parmesan Cheese and breadcrumbs along with butter and oil. The oil keeps the topping from burning while the butter adds that indulgent rich flavor that really makes this dish so special. You are definitely going to want to add this scallop recipe to your next holiday menu or special occasion!
Instructions
Time needed: 25 minutes.
- Prep
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and remove the tough side-muscle.
- Topping
Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, spices, melted butter and olive oil in a medium bowl with a fork. You want it evenly combined with a loose wet sand texture.
- Assemble
Line up your scallops in a single layer in an 8×10 baking dish. Top each scallop with a little breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake
Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until they are cooked through and the topping is browned.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 16 large sea scallops , (1 – 1 ½ pounds)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese , grated
- 2 tablespoons parsley , chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Dry scallops well with paper towel and remove any attached side-muscle on the scallop by pinching and tearing it away from the scallop (the muscle is much tougher to eat than the scallop).
- Combine the salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, panko, Parmesan, parsley, olive oil, and butter in a bowl stirring well until combined.
- Place the scallops into an 8×10 baking dish, then cover with the bread crumb mixture.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the topping is browned.
Nutrition
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Can these be made ahead?
No, I wouldn’t try to prep scallops ahead too much. You could assemble the raw scallops with the topping maybe an hour before baking but that’s pushing it. You don’t want the topping to absorb the extra seafood juices or it won’t crisp up. Plus if the breadcrumbs sit in the oil and butter too long, it could make the topping greasy. This is such a quick to make dish, I really recommend baking it as soon as you get everything assembled.
Side Dishes for Scallops
While these scallops are the perfect party appetizer, they also make a great main dish for a special occasion. Here are some delicious sides to go with Baked Scallops.
- Roasted Green Beans: Green beans are even better roasted. They stay crisp without drying out, and they compliment the sweet flavor of the scallops perfectly.
- Scalloped Potatoes: These potatoes are practically floating in cheese and have a rich, full flavor. The baked scallops are fantastic served up next to a bed of sizzling, thin sliced potatoes.
- Easy Mushroom Rice: The buttery flavor of button mushrooms with the earthy onions and thyme take basic rice to a whole new level.
How to Store
- Store: Don’t leave the cooked scallops out for more than 2 hours at room temperature. Place in an airtight container in a single layer and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: I would reheat these in a skillet with some butter or oil, over medium heat, just until warmed through. This keeps them from drying out and getting tough.
- Freeze: Freeze the scallops in a single layer on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer them to a freezer safe container and keep for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen in a low temperature oven until hot.
Frequent Questions
According to the USDA’s website, scallops are considered cooked through and safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
I usually use standard sea scallops or Bay scallops since they are easy to find where I live. However if you are lucky enough to be near a fresh fish market, I would use whatever large scallops are local to you!
Variations
- Lemon juice: Drizzle the juice from a freshly squeezed lemon over the top of the scallops for some extra zesty flavor.
- White wine: Add a little bit of white wine to the bottom of the pan. the scallops will absorb the flavor as they cook.
- Au Gratin: Closely layer scallops together in a baking dish and then cover them in a thick layer of your choice of cheese, casserole style. Check out my Scallop Gratin Recipe for more details!
- Scallops: Bay scallops are a smaller variety of shellfish but are equally as tasty and easy to find. But if you have a local fish market, I recommend checking it out for your area’s variety.
Related Recipes
More Delicious Simple Seafood Recipes
The following images were used in previous versions of this post:
This is THE best scallop recipe!! I followed the recipe exactly! They were crispy and cooked to perfection! Maine scallops were caught this AM!
Fresh Maine Scallops!! So glad you enjoyed the Baked Scallops recipe Jen and thanks for the five star review!
Very easy to make. Definitely 15 minutes only Made Dec 31 2025. So good!
Hands down the BEST scallop recipe I’ve ever made and I’m a bit of a scallop addict. They cooked perfectly and the topping…incredible! And so easy. It looked and tasted like it came from a fine dining restaurant.
Aww, thanks Sheryl and thanks for the five star “vote of confidence”!
made several changes: 2T butter only, no oil. crushed clove of garlic in panko. skipped parsely. squeezed a half lemon into an 8 inch round pan. baked 15 min at 425. scallops were caught today off the coast of Maine and were huge, 13 in a pound.
This is the most delicious recipe I ever made. I started with large dayboat scallops, which were phenomenal on their own. I added wine to the pan along with lemon juice and finely diced garlic and added more lemon juice before serving. The scallops are incredibly rich with the full complement of butter and parmigiano cheese.
I made the scallops a second time with half the butter and cheese and a touch more olive oil and they were lighter and still fantastic.
So glad you enjoyed the Scallops! Thanks so much Stella and thanks for the 5 stars!
Very good recipe! I put a little white wine in the bottom of the pan, great flavor! I think I would leave out the olive oil next time, wanted my topping a little crispier, but still great! Would make again…
Great recipe…added gruyere and Parmesan and 1 tbsp minced garlic in jar…my husband loved them! 15 minutes was perfect on convection bake.
Okay so I DO NOT like scallops, they taste gummy and the texture is weird… BUT LET ME TELL YOU! I ate every damn one that my husband didn’t! I put the white wine on the bottom and the topping! #youwonseafood
LOL…best comment ever! So delighted to hear you loved this recipe. I’ve been getting great reviews just like yours. If seafood is a favorite, type in “Seafood” on our recipe index browser to search for other recipes you guys might enjoy! Thanks so much for the 5 star review Emily!
Delicious and easy!
Absolutely delicious, hubby was delighted. Will be making it again. Thank you so much. Looking forward to more recipes.
So glad you all enjoyed the Scallops and thank you Marilyn, for the 5 star review!
I can’t even begin to describe how perfect this recipe is. Didn’t change one thing. Split the difference of baking time and did 16 minutes. I’ve been making scallops for 2+ years, mostly pan fried. Will never use another recipe. These were perfectly cooked, flavorful, crispy, and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Thanks Sandi! So glad you enjoyed them and thank you for the 5 star rating!
? Wow, I was sceptical BUT holly molly this was fantastic, sooooo delicious, I’m cooking cod tonight and using this topping, my husband loved it, so simple, your guest would be impressed, I followed it to the tee, didn’t change a thing.
I made these tonight for dinner. Absolutely amazing. I will never cook scallops any other way!
So easy and my husband loved it! Would make great appetizers for a party.
Delicious, light and a bit fancy! Adding the wine to the pan is a great idea. Swapped cilantro for parsley. Squeeze lemon wedges over top is a must. Can’t wait to try your scallops gratin recipe next. Thanks, Sabrina!
Thank you Kay!
Followed recipe exactly, and it came out delicious! Topping was crisp without having to broil. Wine on bottom was good suggestion.
So good and so easy. Perfect for dinner with friends.
A question, want to pan sear sea scallops with lemon zest and white wine.
I prefer to serve them in individual skillets with pasta on the bottom and scallops on top. Want to put the serving pans in the oven and serve hot.
Thoughts on how that would work out and oven temperature and heating time.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
If you need instructions on how to sear scallops (though it seems you have that covered) you might want to check out our recipe for Pan Seared Scallops. For reheating, you may want to set your oven to 250 and heat for 5-10 minutes just to get your food rewarmed.
Wonderful way to cook scallops!
Delicious
Fabulous….I make these scallops quite often!
I also put the same topping on baked cod…delish!