Baked scallops with tomato, garlic and herbed breadcrumbs

Name: Baked scallops with tomato, garlic and herbed breadcrumbs
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 6 as a starter
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 12 extra-large scallops in the half-shell; 18 cherry tomatoes, split in half; salt and black pepper; 50ml white wine or champagne; 30ml extra virgin olive oil; ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves; ¼ cup loosely packed parsley leaves; ½ cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs*; 2 medium-size garlic cloves; 40g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano

Danielle Alvarez

December 1, 2023

Scallops baked in the half-shell with a suitably festive topping.William Meppem

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:6 as a starter

With the red tomatoes and green breadcrumbs, these scallops look ready for Christmas – and they taste even better than they look. There’s minimal prep required, so they’re a perfect start to a larger meal, and although you’ll need to turn on your oven, they don’t take long to bake. Serve with a glass of champagne.

Ingredients

12 extra-large scallops in the half-shell
18 cherry tomatoes, split in half
salt and black pepper
50ml white wine or champagne
30ml extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup loosely packed parsley leaves
½ cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs*
2 medium-size garlic cloves
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 225C fan-forced (245C conventional).
Step 2
Arrange the scallops in an even layer on one or two large baking trays. A piece of crumpled aluminium foil under each one will help keep it level while baking. Add 3 tomato halves to each shell and sprinkle scallops and tomatoes with salt and black pepper. Drizzle over the white wine and olive oil and set aside.
Step 3
To make the breadcrumb mix, combine the basil, parsley, breadcrumbs and garlic in a food processor and blend until the crumbs are fine – and green. Add the butter and parmigiano and process again to incorporate. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed.
Step 4
Sprinkle a little of the breadcrumb mix over each scallop. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasty and the scallops are cooked through. Serve hot.

*To make sourdough breadcrumbs, take crustless sourdough bread and process it in a food processor until you’re left with fine breadcrumbs.