Capesante al Forno {Baked Scallops}

Capesante al Forno {Baked Scallops}.

We’ve been in a seafood mood lately. I’m pretty much a happy girl anytime I’m having seafood. Mussels, shrimp, lobster, fish, crab {oh let me count the ways I love crab…king, snow, dungeness, blue, stone wow I’m thinking there’s going to be a crab recipe coming up very soon LOL} and scallops. Oh I how I LURVE succulent sweet scallops.

Capesante al Forno {Baked Scallops}

Sea scallops, diver scallops, bay scallops, rock scallops, here a scallop there a scallop LOL. All perfectly plump and delectable! I’ll take a dozen of each ; ) This  recipe was inspired from a recipe in the cookbook “Venezia”. They used large sea scallops on the half shell which made an incredibly beautiful presentation. For this recipe I used bay scallops but you could use any that you like. It’s a dish that comes together incredibly fast. You simply marinate the scallops, spoon them into the ramekins, top with breadcrumbs and a little buttah and bake. It’s that easy. The hardest part will be waiting for them to come out of the oven ; )

They make a perfect appetizer if you put them in smaller ramekins {this is how I prepare them for this post} and serve them with a toasted baguette. Swoon! OR if you choose to adjust the recipe {increase the marinade and amount of scallops to double or triple the size} put them in a larger dish it easily converts to an entree with the addition of a few sides. Easy peasy and oh so tasty either way.

Baci!

What you’ll need: {served as an appetizer this makes 4 servings}
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic – minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
flat leaf Italian Parsley – chopped
1 pound bay scallops
salt/pepper
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons unsalted butter

What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Into a small bowl place the olive  oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and scallops. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Set aside.

3. Spray your ramekins with cooking spray. Using a slotted spoon place enough scallops into each ramekin so that they’re 3/4 full or equally divided between the four ramekins. Top with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs per ramekin {small} and a 1/2 teaspoon butter each.

4. Bake until golden and bubbly, approximately 10-15 minutes.

Buon Appetito!

Notes:
I baked my scallops in 4 ounce shallow ramekins and served them as a appetizer with baguette slices.

For my gluten free friends: This recipe can easily be made gluten free by substituting the breadcrumbs for gluten free breadcrumbs or corn meal.