A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

Baked Sea Scallops (Recipe Inspired by FORGOTTEN SISTERS)

Baked Sea Scallops over Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice

Tartlets, I’m bringing you recipe 1 of 2 today for Forgotten Sisters: Baked Sea Scallops.

You’ll see in the photos below that they’re served with Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice, and the recipe for that dish will post later this week.

raw scallops in a bowl with melted butter, herbs, and shallot, and with a spatula

 

Why are Baked Sea Scallops the book-inspired recipe for Forgotten Sisters?

So much in Forgotten Sisters revolves around water and the sea. The sisters in the book are obsessed with The Little Mermaid, which obviously makes me think of all things ocean-related. I wanted my book-inspired recipe for this novel to involve fish or seafood.

scallops au gratin in a le creuset baking dish on replica surfaces cement background

I feel like scallops are an underutilized member of the seafood family, especially when it comes to cooking dinner at home. A lot of people order them at restaurants, but once you realize how easy and delicious baked scallops are, you’ll be making this recipe on repeat.

 

What I love about Baked Sea Scallops

Seafood should be drenched in butter, and that’s pretty much what happens with these Baked Sea Scallops. You give them a lil’ bath of melted butter, some herbs, and shallot, and then you cover them in a blanket of crispy herbed breadcrumbs. 

Scallops in Le Creuset casserole dish on replica surfaces background

The scallops cook up silky and tender, with no briny aftertaste. You can use any herbs you want with this dish, but fresh tarragon and parsley compliment the seafood really well.

And, of course, there’s the crispy breadcrumb topping. No one ever went wrong using that.

close up with spoon of baked sea scallops au gratin

 

Cooking scallops is surprisingly easy

Sea scallops are one of those foods that seem difficult to cook. And, sure, they can be, if you’re searing them or grilling them. The easiest way to cook sea scallops is to bake them.

When you bake scallops at a pretty high temp – 425F – they cook quickly, evenly, and completely. This recipe calls for maybe 10 minutes of prep time, and dinner is ready to serve just 10-12 minutes later.

joanna gaines magnolia at target plate with baked sea scallops and lemon spinach basmati rice

 

How many people does this recipe serve?

The Baked Sea Scallops recipe below is for 10 large scallops, which I originally thought would serve two people a nice, hearty dinner.

close of scallops and rice dinner

However, upon diving into my meal, I discovered that 2.5-3 scallops, when served with the Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice, were more than enough for me. 

So, this recipe feeds 2-4 people, depending on your appetite. And, you can easily double or triple the measurements to feed a crowd for a dinner party or a holiday meal. 

casserole dish of scallops, a plate of food, fork, replica surfaces cement background

 

What do you serve with Baked Sea Scallops?

All the photos in this blog post show Baked Sea Scallops served over Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice (recipe coming soon!). Some other great side dishes would be Mushroom  Risotto or Creamy Pesto Pasta.

For dessert, I recommend serving something light and refreshing like Lemon Sable Cookies or Rose Water and Orange Fairy Cakes.

fork split baked scallop over rice

Other favorite seafood recipes of mine include Paprika Shrimp with Smoked Gouda Polenta, Cioppino with Garlic Toast, and Chilled Seafood Salad.

And, if you’re looking for a way to use up some leftover fresh tarragon, Creamy Tarragon Chicken is the only recipe you need.

Baked Sea Scallops over Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice

Baked Sea Scallops

Tender large sea scallops are baked in a bath of butter, chopped herbs, and shallot, then served over a bed of Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice. This delicious restaurant-style meal made at home is ready to serve in 10 minutes!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine French
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 10 large sea scallops
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 4 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, DIVIDED
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 large pinches of ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup Italian seasoning breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

PREP INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 425F.
  • Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Chop the herbs. Set aside.
  • Mince the shallot. Set aside.
  • Melt the butter and set aside.
  • Rinse and pat dry the sea scallops. Set aside.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a medium bowl, combine the sea scallop swith the minced shallot, nutmeg, 2 tbsp chopped tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the melted butter over the ingredients and gentle mix together with clean hands or a spatula.
  • Spoon the sea scallop mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Make sure each scallop is covered with some butter-herb mixture.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tbsp chopped tarragon, the parsley, and the breadcrumbs. Add the olive oil and stir together to create a sandy breadcrumb (au gratin) topping.
  • Sprinkle the topping over the scallops in the casserole dish.
  • Bake the sea scallops at 425F for 10-12 minutes, until the breadcrumbs have browned and the scallops are fully cooked.
  • Serve immediately, preferably over a bed of Lemon Spinach Basmati Rice.
Keyword au gratin

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