This is a traditional Italian starter for Christmas Eve and for all dinner parties where fish is the main theme. My version uses both fresh breadcrumbs and "pangrattato" (Italian dry fine breadcrumbs), resulting in a much more moist result than the traditional (dry) Italian version that uses "pangrattato" only.
Ingredients:
6 big Atlantic scallops (or 12 small ones) with their roe still attached
200gr fresh breadcrumbs + 100gr pangrattato
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley
3 biggish cloves of garlic, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil or a little more
Freshly ground black pepper
Fine salt
You will need:
6 scallops shells (the round top part for each)
A glass bowl where to mix the ingredients
A baking tin of any kind (to accommodate the scallop shells)
Method:
Mix the breadcrumbs and the pangrattato, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley in your bowl, add the olive oil and mix well, the oil must wet enough the breadcrumbs but cannot be too much
Brush the bottom of your shells with a thin layer of olive oil
Rinse the scallops well, then place one or two (depending how big they are) in the middle of each shell
Coat and cover well each scallop with your breadcrumb mixture
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C. for 20 mins or slightly less - don't let it burn
Serve very warm