Crispy Baked Scallops are buttery and crispy with panko, Parmesan Cheese, paprika, butter and olive oil baked in just 15 minutes.
If you like easy to make sea food, like Pesto Shrimp or Crispy Fried Calamari, or if you liked my Pan Seared Scallops you should definitely try this recipe.
BAKED SCALLOPS
Baking scallops in butter not only gives them a delicious taste, it makes the outside crisp and flavorful and the cook time is incredibly short. If you want a classy, high brow dinner but either can’t find a sitter or don’t want to pay for a gourmet restaurant, this is an easy you can make at home.
Scallops are a delicious shell fish that has a rich flavor, a springy texture and tastes absolutely fantastic when drenched in butter. This recipe combines paprika, black pepper, Parmesan Cheese and breadcrumbs to make a golden brown, flavorful topping for the scallops that add just enough flavor to make this dinner unique and delicious.
HOW TO MAKE BAKED SCALLOPS
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and remove the tough side-muscle.
- Place scallops in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
- Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, spices, butter and olive oil.
- Top the scallops with the mixture
- Put them in the oven and bake until the scallops are opaque (about 15 minutes).
- Broil the scallops for a minute or two if the topping isn’t browned.
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. Once you bake them, the cheese will add a yummy savory flavor.
- Bay scallops: bay scallops are a smaller variety of shellfish but are equally as tasty. If the bay variety are all that you have available, don’t worry! You can still make this great tasting scallop recipe as an entree or as a tasty appetizer.
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What to serve with Baked Scallops:
- Roasted Green Beans: green beans are delicious, and they’re even better roasted. They stay crisp without drying out, and they compliment the flavor of the baked scallops perfectly.
- Scalloped Potatoes: from one scallop to another. 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.
- Three Bean Salad: if you want to eat some veggies but are really tired of classic salads, go for three bean salad. It’s light enough to leave you enough room to enjoy a whole pan of scallops but also filling enough if you absolutely have to share your scallops with someone else.
- Easy Mushroom Rice: rice is a great base for all sorts of flavors, and the buttery flavor of button mushrooms, onions and thyme take this side to a whole new level.
The Unsung Trivia – Scallop Trivia
- Up until pretty recently, scallops weren’t actually eaten very much. They were valued for their beautiful, scalloped edged shells (see what I did there?) and the meat was pretty much ignored. Kind of shockingly, the reasons that scallops weren’t a favorite was because they were considered too sweet.
- The scallop is the official state shell of New York.
- Scallops use their shells to “jump” around in the water.
How to Store Baked Scallops:
- Serve: for the good of your insides, don’t leave scallops out for longer than 2 hours.
- Store: once cooked, you can store scallops for up to 2 days.
- Freeze: in an airtight container, you can keep scallops for up to 3 months in the freezer.
WHEN ARE THEY SAFE TO EAT?
According to the USDA’s website, scallops are considered cooked through and safe to eat when the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (62.7 degrees C).
While some sushi restaurants serve raw scallops that seafood is sourced through incredibly thoughtful channels that your local grocer may not be utilizing, so it is best to not serve your scallops raw.
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 8x10 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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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!