Stuffed scallops
Stuffed Scallops are an easy recipe that make the perfect appetizer! They offer a decadent seafood appetizer that everyone will love.
Servings: 12
Calories: 143kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Note 1
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs Note 2
- 1 cup diced bacon Note 3
- 1 cup crab meat Note 4
- 4 green onions roots and tip trimmed, cut into 5 segments, see photo in post for reference as needed, Note 5
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce Note 6
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 7
- ½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 7
- 12 scallops in the half shell, Note 8
- ½ cup parmesan cheese finely grated using a micro plane zester, Note 9
Garnish:
- fresh leaf parsley stems removed, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Panko breadcrumbs: place a large non stick frying pan onto the stove, turn the heat to high and add the olive oil. Once the oil has heated add the panko breadcrumbs and cook for 2-4 minutes until toasted and golden brown in colour. When they are done, turn the heat off and move the frying pan off the hot element.
- Stuffing: next add the diced bacon and crab meat to the food processor bowl. Then add the green onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Blitz to roughly chop for 5-10 seconds.
- Scallops: working one at at time remove each scallop from its shell, rinse both the scallop and the shell then pat them both dry using paper towel.
- Baking tray: line a baking tray with parchment paper then place the empty dried scallop shells across the tray in one flat layer.
- Stuff: place one scallop into the empty shell until they are all done. Then use a teaspoon to scoop 1 - 1 ½ teaspoons of the stuffing mixture onto and around the sides of each scallop. Then repeat this process until all of the scallops have the stuffing on them.
- Cheese and breadcrumbs: next sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and sides of the stuffing for each scallop. Once done, sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs over the top (as the cheese melts, it will ensure the breadcrumbs 'stick' to the stuffed scallops).
- Oven bake: place the baking tray with the stuffed scallops into the preheated oven on the middle shelf. Bake the scallops for 12 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the stuffed mixture has baked through.
- To serve: once the scallops have cooked, use an oven mitt to remove the baking tray from the oven. Place the tray onto a heatproof surface and transfer the scallops to serving platter. Sprinkle with some finely chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
- Note 1 - Vegetable oil: we use the vegetable oil to toast the breadcrumbs.
- Note 2 - Panko breadcrumbs: bright white and crisp, these breadcrumbs are very popular in Japanese cooking. You will find them in the Asian foods aisle in the supermarket.
- Note 3 - Bacon: store bought diced bacon is the easiest. It requires no chopping and can simply be added to the food processor as is.
- Note 4 - Crab meat: you will be able to get this from the seafood section of the supermarket where the salmon and mussels are sold. Or you can look in the aisle where they sell canned tuna as most supermarkets will also sell tinned crab meat.
- Note 5 - Green onions: these add great flavor to the stuffing mixture, yet as not as overpowering as using a freshly diced onion.
- Note 6 - Worcestershire sauce: known for bringing a little oomph to recipes. This is my secret sauce that I like to use across a number of flavor combinations.
- Note 7 - Salt and pepper: we use salt and a little bit of black pepper for seasoning in the recipe.
- Note 8 - Scallops: we want in shell scallops that have no roe. Fresh and juicy these make a fantastic ingredient to cook with.
- Note 9- Parmesan cheese: known for having a bold and strong flavor. This cheese brings both its unique taste as well as texture which helps to 'stick' the stuffing mixture together.
- Serving size: the kcal information listed above in the recipe card is per stuffed scallop.
Nutrition
Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg