This recipe is quick, delicious, and impressive as an appetizer or amuse-bouche. You can also serve it as part of a seafood antipasti spread. Along the Venetian coast, restaurants serve various seafood dishes baked under a crispy crust of breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, and olive oil. As with most Italian cuisine, success depends on high-quality ingredients and precise preparation. The crust must be golden brown and crispy, while the scallop should be just cooked through—tender and juicy rather than dry and rubbery.

I recommend practicing this dish before serving it at a dinner party. The key variables are the size of the scallops, the moisture level of the breadcrumbs, the oven temperature, and the timing. Every oven behaves differently, and results may vary depending on whether the oven was just preheated or has been running for hours. If you are preparing these alongside gratinated mussels, a secret tip is to use the liquor released by the mussels to moisten the scallop breadcrumbs.

For the best flavor and texture, buy fresh scallops in the shell and shuck them yourself. Pre-shucked scallops are often frozen or brined, which compromises their quality; you can find more details on shopping for scallops in this article. Shucking them yourself also allows you to make a quick stock from the skirt to use as the moistening liquid. Furthermore, the shells provide a perfect, albeit slightly old-school, serving vessel that makes for a more impressive presentation.

Ingredients

For 4 servings

• 4 scallops
• 2 Tbsp dried breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 225°C/440°F. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of dried breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of minced parsley, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then add just enough liquid—water, scallop liquor, or mussel liquor—to make the mixture moist but not wet. It is best to start with less liquid than you think you need, as you can always add more; if the mixture becomes too wet, simply stir in more breadcrumbs.

Arrange the scallops on a baking sheet, either in their shells or on parchment paper. Cover the top of each scallop completely with a thin layer of the breadcrumb mixture. For medium-sized scallops, this quantity of topping should be exactly enough.

Bake at 225°C/440°F for about 10 minutes until the tops are golden brown. If the scallops are undercooked when the topping is ready, lower the oven temperature next time to allow more cooking time before browning. If they are overcooked, increase the temperature next time to brown the crust faster.

Note that timing and temperature may require adjustment based on your specific oven and the size of the scallops. The amount of food in the oven also matters, as a crowded oven creates more humidity and slows down the browning process. Serve immediately to ensure the breading remains perfectly crispy.