Au gratin scallops – Capesante gratinate

It’s scallop season! I took this opportunity to try a classic Italian recipe, often found at Christmas family gatherings. It’s super easy and the result is just delicious. This recipe is a slightly modified version of the one found here at Giallozafferano.

Buy the scallops (here 8). If fresh, clean them as shown in this video. Remember to not discard the orange part, or “coral”, as it tastes great too. Remove the crust from a piece of bread and place 100 g of bread in a mixer together with some parsley, 40 g of extra-virgin olive oil, a touch of lemon zest and a pinch of salt and black pepper. When adding salt to the breadcrumbs, keep in mind that this is the only salt you will use. Mix it: you have your panure.

Now, put the scallops back in their shells, cover them with the panure. Place them on a tray and the right in the oven, where they will cook for approx. 15 minutes at 190°. Complimenti!

This is a very basic recipe and a solid place to start. You can play around with the flavour by adding thyme, marjoram and other aromatic herbs. I might be trying another version soon, by legendary Chef Gualtiero Marchesi… I will let you know!