Scallops au gratin, a delicious and refined appetizer

Baked scallops au gratin are a refined and delicious fish appetizer, perfect to bring to the table to make a great impression with guests.

Fast, good , beautiful to look at: they are the scallops au gratin, a dish that brought to the table will cheer up all your guests and make you look great! Not many people know how to prepare this delicious appetizer, but let us reveal a secret : in reality the preparation is very simple and if you follow all the steps you will create a wonderful course, making everyone envy.

You are ready? Then follow us to the stove , let’s get started: here is the recipe for scallops au gratin!

How to clean scallops before cooking them

Before even going into the simple and quick preparation of this fish appetizer, it is good to understand once and for all how to thoroughly clean a scallop. We do not need to tell you, we know, that it is good to buy good quality seafood, fresh and possibly not farmed and that come from the waters of the Mediterranean. Once purchased, you can move on to the preparation, which will be very different from mussels and clams , which instead must be purged in water and salt .

First, open them with a special knife with a fine blade , or have them open by your trusted fishmonger. At this point, extract the mollusk from the shell and remove the light brown fringe that is usually present in these seafood. At this point, wash them under running water and dab them carefully with absorbent paper and keep them aside. Wash half of the shell thoroughly under water, dry it and then reposition the shellfish inside. You are now ready to go cooking!

How to cook baked scallops au gratin

1. First of all, start with cleaning, leaving only the lower part of the shell.

2. Then, separately, make what will be the covering and which will become crunchy in the oven: breadcrumbs, finely chopped parsley, chopped garlic with a knife (but remember to remove the core so as not to revive it), and finally salt and pepper.

3. Add the lemon zest and cover the scallops completely, then add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.

4. At this point we go to the oven ! The scallops should be cooked for about 10, maximum 15 minutes, in a preheated oven at 200 ° C. When they are golden brown, take them out and .. enjoy your meal!

If you liked scallops au gratin, try our pan-fried scallops too , another dish you ‘ll love !

How to cook frozen scallops

Of course, the secret to this dish is surely to obtain fresh and quality raw materials, starting with the protagonists. It is also true that you do not always have the possibility, and therefore you can also prepare frozen scallops au gratin, defrosting them with the right notice.

The only trick, therefore, is to remember to take them out as long as you need: the ideal is to defrost them 5 hours before preparation, but if you are away from home, just put them in the fridge the night before. Then proceed with the creation of the filling and cooking: good preparation !

Variations for the au gratin scallops: brandy, with prosecco or other flavorings

Once made and cooked, the gratinated shells will (almost certainly) become a must have in your kitchen (in important moments, such as for Christmas appetizers , but also during any dinner with friends). To make this preparation always different and special, we advise you to experiment with the gratinating of scallops. You can replace the lemon with chopped pistachios , or add some chopped dried tomatoes or, again, a selection of always different aromatic herbs .

You can also prepare excellent scallops with white wine or brandy. To make it, add the wine (preferably dry) to the breading, making sure that everything is not too liquid . Do the same with brandy but, be careful, use it sparingly as it is very strong and could then overwhelm the taste of the seafood.

storage

Of course, scallops will give their best if enjoyed freshly made , but if you have any leftover, you can keep them in the fridge for a day in a container. Alternatively, freeze them raw.

Do you love recipes like this one? Here are our best quick appetizers and many ideas for really tasty fish appetizers !