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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Five star fantastic! Made for Christmas dinner on a whim, was a HUGE success! Wouldn’t change a thing…YUM!!
This is THE best and easiest scallops recipe! I can serve it to my family or at a dinner party. Always a huge success.
I’m so glad to know everyone loves it! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Linda.
My new favorite scallop recipe. Absolutely the best.
Thanks for such a big compliment, Mariann!
I would not include parmesan cheese in this recipe next time I make it. Also less butter or oil.
This recipe is first class all the way! Delicious!! This is one of the best recipes out there!
Excellent and easy!! Might try not adding salt to crumb mixture next time as parm is salty but recipe was fabulous as is. Will be making again for sure
I made these tonight. Delicious!! My husband said these are the best scallops he has ever eaten. Definitely a keeper recipe. Btw I also served the green beans you suggested. Another keeper. Thank you!
Absolutely 5 star is right, i wouldnt change a thing, mouthwatering.
Just follow the recipe and your as good as gold. A side of scalloped
potatoes and my husband was in heaven.
Thanks for the 5 stars, Jeanne.
Best scallops we have EVER had. I’m including restaurant meals in this review. These are just amazing. And easy to make. Can’t wait to make them again.
Wow! Thanks, Laurie.
Best and easiest way EVER to serve scallops! Tonight I omitted the parmesan for no particular reason and we loved them that way, too (I did increase the salt a bit to compensate.) So easy to test doneness with an instant thermometer…a totally foolproof recipe. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jane.
Although I have pinned but not yet tried either your baked or pan-seared scallops, I’m curious after looking over the ingredients how each serving is close to 1000 mg sodium. Maybe the 1/2 tsp salt and Parmesan cheese is to blame. I suppose I could adjust the amounts.
The recipe cards work off of an auto calculator for nutritional information. I did go in and updated it and found that it dropped the amount but if it’s something you’re trying to measure for dietary needs, I would suggest taking the ingredients and entering them into your own calculator to better determine the information. Thanks for letting me know.
I’ve been eating scallops my entire life and none came close to these.
They tasted like we were eating at a 5 star restaurant.
I used shredded parmesan chopped in a food processor, rather than grated.
Mine and my boyfriend’s new favorite dish!
Wow, that’s quite the compliment! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Angie.
I made this last night. It was quick. It was easy. It was AWESOME, clean plates and second helpings all around
I have been marries 17 years and my husband said this was the best dinner I ever made!
Wow! So glad it worked out so well for you!
Amazing!
Thank you Sabrina! This is the absolute perfect recipe for scallops. They are delicious, so quick and easy. I put a little white wine in the bottom of the pan, and finished off with a bit of lemon juice. Served over rice with a side of petite herbed green beans, wonderful. The only problem was that my husband and son were looking for more they enjoyed them so much! Will definitely be my go to for scallops.
Yay!! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Best scallops Eva!!!
Thanks so much for this recipe; it was simple, quick & delicious!
Used salted butter – so next time will not add salt – otherwise scallops soft and tender – just needed a 2 min broil.
This recipe is easy and very tasty! Perfect for our New England Seafood Buffet
These are the easiest, most delicious scallops I’ve ever had…and they came out of my kitchen! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. This will be the only one I ever use again!!
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed them.
I really hope someone reads this review and tries this recipe, I’ve been cooking from my boys for years and have never add them respond so favorably to anything before. All I did different was at some crushed garlic to the butter and olive oil and sauteed it lightly before mixing it with everything else. Very simple and delicious
Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I’m so glad you all enjoyed them.
I was nervous to make this because it was my first time cooking scallops and I didn’t have paprika. I used Chilli powder instead (the same amount you used for paprika), and they were amazing! My boyfriend said it was the best scallops he’s ever had and the best meal I’ve cooked! I made red lobster rolls (out of the box) as a side, some pasta, and veggies. Thanks so much!
Wow, that’s awesome! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Paige.
These were fantastic and quite a treat! I halved the recipe for just the two of us, served over buttered linguine, then scooped out some leftover YUMMY crumbs and sprinkle on top. Thank you for such a great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Deborah.
These were amazing! I halved the recipe for just the two of us, served over buttered linguine scrapping the yummy loose crumbs on top. What a treat, thank you for the great recipe.
I made this recipe last night but omitted the parsley and the cayenne pepper. The scallops were out of this world. I am sharing the recipe with friends.
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed them.
So happy I found this recipe. The scallops were fantastic. Made my day and my meal!
I’ll be serving this again.
This was AMAZING! In fact I love this topping so much I would like to know what else I could use it with besides scallops? Love scallops but not always fresh at the grocery. My family loved it too and I paired it with your mushroom rice which was nice!!!
Any white fish would be good with this topping. Try using smoked paprika instead of sweet one time. Most white fish you cook at 400 for 20 minutes, exceptions being scrod or other thinner filets. Then I would either cook for 15 minutes or turn the oven down to 350 for 15-20.
Absolutely delicious, and so easy to throw together. Already had all the ingredients in the house. Will definitely make again!
Sounds like a winner!
Thank you so much for this! i bought too many scallops to pan-sear in any sort of reasonable way, and this was a PERFECT recipe. Even the picky teenager who doesn’t really like scallops had seconds! a winner!! Will 100% make again!
Yay!! Thanks for the 5 stars.
And they don’t stink up the house nearly as much!!
These are phenomenal. this was the first time cooking scallops and they came out beautifully. thank you again for this wonderful meal! It is a great Lent favorite and a regular meal favorite!
You’re welcome, Jennifer.
Just finished enjoying these scallops – delicious! I also prepared the easy mushroom rice as a side, along with fresh asparagus. My boyfriend loved this simple, but elegant meal!
Delicious! I added the 1/4 cup white wine to the pan and cooked for 18 -19 mins but they were jumbo size.
I made these last night & they were AMAZING!! Followed recipe exactly. My husband loved them too.
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Pam.
Excellent and very easy! I also just put in an about 9″ round baking dish – came out just fine.
Was very tasty and good! I added white wine just to cover the bottom of pan before adding topping. My husband was not much of a scallop fan, but he loved it. Thanks for posting!
You’re welcome, Gail.
It says “prepared baking dish” but how to prepare and with what please ??
Sorry about that. No need to prepare the 8 x 10 baking dish before adding the scallops.Enjoy!
If adding lemon juice and white wine, how much of each do I add for 1 lb of scallops? thanks!
I would start with 1/4 cup dry white wine and about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. You can always adjust to your liking as well.
Excellent. Little effort, pantry staples, results in restaurant quality scallops.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent scallops! My family loved them.
So happy to hear that!
Tasted great. I added garlic, lemon, and white cooking wine. Timing was spot on and the scallops were perfect. Thanks
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it Dave. I appreciate the 5 star rating.
I’m new to cooking scallops. I purchased a frozen variety. Do I defrost them ??
Yes, you can thaw them several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Do not thaw scallops at room temperature. Just rinse the scallops and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking. Enjoy!
If I use the variation with bay scallops, how long would you bake them?
It should take around the same time. Enjoy!
I made this for my husband’s family and everyone loved it! There were no leftovers!
I’d definitely call that a success!! Thanks for letting me know.
I can’t wait to try this… I tried pan searing scallops and burnt one side… so baking sounds more up mu ally. I will be trying this on my pellet smoker. I can better control the temperature (my oven is very old) and I am looking forward to the smoky flavor! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy!
Totally love the crispy topping!
Thanks, Wilhelmina!
I saved this scallop recipe as soon as I laid my eyes on it. Such a brilliant and easy entertaining idea for the summer. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Julia!
I love how simple and easy these were to make! They baked up so quickly and so flavorful!
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try.
I can’t believe these take less than 25 minutes to make!
Easy peasy!
Hi I have a hard time finding fresh scallops. Will it work with frozen scallops? The reason I ask is when I’ve used frozen before they seem to be to watery even after patting dry. Any suggestions?
Yes, but you’ll want to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and pat them dry before using. Enjoy!
What a restaurant worthy dish, indeed! This look amazing; can’t wait to give this a try for dinner tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Could you give weight watcher points on some of your dishes. I love you cooking but must decide to eat healthier.
You might like my other recipe site as well, Cookingmadehealthy.com 🙂