Gratinated scallops Venetian style
The scallop, which is also known as coquille St-Jacques in French, is probably one of the best known, appreciated and loved types of shellfish, even by those that are generally not so keen on fish or seafood.
I have always adored gratinated scallops, so simple and quick to make. Plum, juicy scallops are covered with enriched breadcrumb mixture and then quickly baked. Despite its simplicity, they feel so luxurious and festive and very impressive, especially when served in their shells.
The use of the scallop shell goes back to medieval times when it was used to pour holy water on the head of the baptized members of the congregation, and it had a very practical purpose and served as a replacement for a bowl so the pilgrims could use them to hold their food and drink on their long journey on the Camino de Santiago, or in English the Way of St. James, i.e. the pilgrim trail leading to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia in north-western Spain, and the shrine of St. James, one of the original apostles, and it is widely travelled today.
The scallop shell scoop would also serve as the measure for the food the pilgrims would receive, donated by local churches and other establishments.
This is a great and very tasty starter for special occasions and there are a lot of variations of this dish. The most familiar variation of it to me, which I grew up with, is eating it in the Venetian style (called Capesante a la Selvadega in Venetian dialect). This is another example of a dish that left significant footprints in the region due to strong presence in the territory of the Serenissima (i.e. ‘the Most Serene Republic of Venice’).
No matter how you prefer making them, scallops are a healthy eating option as they mainly consist of protein and healthy omega-3 fat, are rich in vitamin B12 and zinc, all of which are essential for a healthy brain.
Great to freeze and can be prepared in advance.
For this recipe, you can buy fresh scallops and clean them yourself or buy the ones that have been cleaned already by the fishmonger but still sold in their original shell. You can, however, buy already cleaned fresh or frozen scallops without the shell and use the ramekins to cook and serve them in.
If you buy the fresh scallops in their original shell, I would suggest you keep them for the future use. Brush them well, wash them in a hot soapy water or you can even put them in the dishwasher.
Whether you buy them fresh or frozen you really want to make sure they are caught using sustainable fishing methods.
Ingredients
Serves 4
12 large fresh scallops (separated from their shell and cleaned)
12 clean concave scallop shell to be used as cooking and serving dishes (or ramekins)
120g breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic (peeled and pressed)
vegetable stock, 1-2 Tsp per scallop (using a good quality instant vegetable stock is perfectly fine)
fresh flat leaf parsley, about a handful (7g), very finely chopped
fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) (about 30g), finely grated
extra virgin olive oil (about 4 Tbsp)
sea salt, to taste
butter, few knobs
lemon wedges, for serving
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C static.
First of all, make the breadcrumb mixture. In a mixing bowl put the breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. With the fork stir and mix so that all the ingredients combine well. You should end up with a moist breadcrumb mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt.
Place the deep, concave shells (or ramekins if using) with scallops on a baking tray. With a small spoon pour the vegetable stock over each scallop.
Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of the breadcrumb mixture over each scallop and press down the breadcrumb mixture slightly with the back of the spoon.
Add a knob of butter on the top of each scallop. At this stage you can freeze the prepared scallops if not used immediately.
Bake in preheated oven for about 10 min until the breadcrumbs turn nice golden colour. Do not overbake the scallops as they will dry too much.
Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side.
Just a thought
You can use the same breadcrumb topping but use mussels instead of scallops. Fantastic warm canapé served with drinks.
Wine suggestion
Friulano DOC "Toc Bas" 2018 by Ronco del Gelso, Friuli Isonzo Rive Alte.