Scallops Gratin (Capesante Gratinate)

A close up cropped image of scallops in their shells with parsley butter.

5 from 1 vote

A deliciously simple Scallop Gratin from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, baked in a delicious parsley and onion butter and topped with breadcrumbs. These scallops are perfect served as a starter, they're elegant, easy and delicious and ready in just 25 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time9

Total Time24

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

8 fresh scallops washed and patted dry
9 tablespoons (130g) unsalted butter
1/2 small white onion finely chopped (50g)
1 small handful (15g) flat-leaf parsley
8 teaspoons fine breadcrumbs
Salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C)
Finely chop the onion and parsley then run your knife over them a few times so they're extra fine and roughly the same amount in volume.
Add the butter, onion and parsley to a bowl with a pinch of salt and mix until thoroughly combined.
Wash the scallops and pat dry (I like to remove the roe if attached but you can leave it on if you prefer, see notes on how to remove).
Season the scallops with a light sprinkling of salt then place them in their shells on a baking tray.
Dollop around 1 tablespoon of butter on top of each scallop then sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of breadcrumbs.
Bake the scallops for 8-9 minutes.

Notes

1. Prep the scallops - make sure to rinse the scallops well in cold water and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Store them in the fridge until needed.
2. Scallop roe - if you're buying scallops from your fishmonger they'll likely still have the roe attached. It's up to your personal preference if you'd like to keep the roe attached or not and it won't affect the cooking time if you do.
3. To remove the roe - gently pull the roe (orange part) away from the edge of the scallop, it should come away easily.
4. Scallop shell alternative (for serving) - if you don't have scallop shells for serving you can use ramekins which is the next best thing or a small baking tray although you'll need to spoon some butter over each scallop when serving if using a tray.

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