For many of my weeknight dinners, I'm looking to accomplish three flavor requirements: buttery, garlicky, and crispy. If that sounds like your ideal flavor combo, then let me introduce a surprisingly easy seafood dinner that aces all three: baked scallops. If you’ve never made scallops before, don’t stress—they’re fairly simple to bake, and are ready to be served in only around 30 minutes. They’re a great option for a last-minute dinner, but are also fancy enough to serve at a dinner party or surprise date night.

What People Are Saying:

“I made these for the first time like this and they were delicious, will always do them like this.” -est7171

How To Make Baked Scallops

INGREDIENTS

Scallops: When buying scallops, there are a few things you want to keep in mind. Look for fresh, dry, packed scallops for the most success in this recipe. These will taste and cook much better than the scallops that have been soaked in brine. Ideal scallops should be firm, dry, not shiny, and still smell like saltwater.
Butter: Every recipe can use a little butter. Here the melted butter will combine with the garlic to create a rich aromatic base for the scallops to bake in. The scallops will absorb all of that buttery flavor, which complements their texture perfectly, and keeps them moist.
Garlic: This recipe really benefits from the punchy, aromatic kick of fresh garlic. We’re essentially making garlic butter here, and how can seafood and garlic butter be anything but delicious?
Lemon Juice: Fresh seafood can always benefit from a little bit of acidity. The tangy brightness of the lemon juice helps to bring out all of the flavors in these perfect little bites.
Panko Bread Crumbs: Panko is lighter and flakier than other types of breadcrumbs, as it is made using only crustless bread. It is very important with highly textural ingredients, like scallops, to consider the textures you are putting around them. Dense, crunchy breadcrumbs would overwhelm the buttery texture of the scallops.
Parmesan: I’m not using a ton of Parmesan here, as I just want enough to give some of the nutty, cheesy flavor without overpowering the more refined flavor of the scallops.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Here the olive oil will serve to add some moisture to the panko and help it brown slightly as the dish cooks. This will give a nice, light crunch to the crust and a pleasant coloring.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Start by prepping the oven and the scallops. Preheat the oven and, as it heats, pat the scallops dry with paper towels and set them in a baking dish. Season each scallop with salt and pepper.

Baked Scallops

Then, in a small bowl, combine melted butter, minced garlic, and lemon juice to create the buttery base for the scallops to cook in. Pour the mixture over the scallops, taking care to pour some of the butter sauce on each.

Baked Scallops

In a separate bowl, add Panko, Parmesan, olive oil, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and mix to combine. Sprinkle a roughly even amount of this mixture on each scallop so that each bite will have a nice crust.

Baked Scallops

Pop the dish into the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the crust is golden and the scallops are cooked and translucent. Scallops tend to get rubbery as they cook, so you are really just looking for a crust on either side with the inside still being translucent and not too firm, but warm.

Baked Scallops

Remove the dish from the oven and spoon the butter mixture back over the top of the scallops for serving alongside lemon wedges.

Baked Scallops

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

Get the best quality scallops you can find. Seafood is always better fresh, but scallops are particularly finicky. The best scallops will be dry packed, firm, and smell like the ocean. If you can find them still on the shell and feel confident about preparing them, even better. Plus, the shells double as super cute serving dishes!
Don’t overcook them. Overcooked scallops are nobody's cup of tea. Like calamari, overcooked scallops become rubbery and chewy.

What To Serve With Baked Scallops

These flavorful scallops are truly the star of the show on the dinner table, but there are plenty of delicious pairings to serve alongside them. Garlic mashed potatoes, grilled green beans, caprese asparagus, and potatoes au gratin would all make for perfect side dishes to these scallops.

Storage

Once cooked, store your scallops in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just a warning: the bread crumb mixture won’t be as crispy and delicious as leftovers, so we recommend enjoying these scallops the day of.

Yields: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

1 lb.
scallops
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp.
butter, melted
3
cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 c.
panko bread crumbs
1/4 c.
freshly grated Parmesan
4 tsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch red pepper flakes
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and place in a small baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic, and lemon juice. Pour all over scallops.
In another small bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, oil, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle mixture on top of each scallop.
Bake until tops are golden and scallops are translucent, 12 to 15 minutes.
Spoon butter over tops and serve with lemon wedges.