Breaded Scallops

The beauty of living on an island is that purchasing fresh fish is never an issue. And when I say fresh, I mean just-off-the-boat fresh! It can't get better, or more delicious than that! Shopping local is that simple, and you know that the food you cook with is the very best!

I absolutely love scallops, and I often cook Pan-Fried King Scallops with Chinese Brown Sauce, which can be enjoyed on their own as a starter, or with this delicious Scallop Mushroom Risotto. Or if you feel like having something delicious when the grilling season is on, why not try these yummy Grilled Teriyaki Scallop Skewers? They are super yummy too!

Now, these breaded scallops are as delicious and healthy. They aren't deep dried in tons of oil, but rather oven-fried in a mixture of olive oil and butter, which gives them a delicate flavour.

And they are super quick to make too, you have them on the table in about 30 minutes. Super fresh, super tasty, what a win!

Ingredients needed for the breaded scallops

• scallops - or queenies, which are small scallops
• breadcrumbs - either regular breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs
• flour - regular flour would do
• egg
• parmesan - grated
• black pepper
• dried Italian herbs
• salt
• butter
• olive oil

All the ingredients used are locally sourced, and apart from the scallops, you probably have them already. For the coating we need: flour, breadcrumbs, egg, seasoning, parmesan and dried herbs. For cooking we need: butter and olive oil. And nothing else!

Step-by-step photos and instructions to make the breaded scallops

• use kitchen towels to pat dry the scallops - I used the roe as well, as the scallops were fresh, and the roe is as delicious and nutritious too!
• have 3 bowl ready: one with beaten egg, one with flour, and another one with breadcrumbs
• to the bowl of breadcrumbs add the grated parmesan, salt, pepper and dried herbs and mix well
• dip each scallop into the beaten egg, then coat with flour, coat with egg again, in finally coat in breadcrumbs
• repeat the process with every scallop - I didn't crumb the roe, it was delicious as it was
• preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (430 Fahrenheit)
• add the olive oil and butter to a large baking pan, and transfer to the oven for 2-3 minutes so the butter can melt
• arrange the scallops on the pan, then flip them over, so they can soak up the butter mixture, that will ensure a golden crust that bakes evenly
• bake for 15 minutes, turning them on the other side half the way through the baking time

Ingredients, photos and instructions to make the tartar sauce

The sauce I like the best to serve the breaded scallops is tartar sauce. It's tangy, it's delicious, and it's super easy to make with just 4 ingredients:

• mayonnaise
• gherkins
• capers
• black pepper

1. Chop the gherkins and capers finely, and use your hands to squeeze as much liquid out as you can - otherwise the sauce becomes too watery
2. add them to the mayo, season with black pepper, and the sauce is ready! It's that easy!

Expert tips

This recipe, apart from being so yummy, is also so easy to make. Baking is definitely my preferred way of making it, but deep-frying can also be an option. I deep-fried my Breaded Scampi (Best Langoustine Recipe), and these scallops can definitely be made the same way.

You can also freeze the breaded scallops, if you don't want to cook them straight away. I would either go for freezing the scallops as they are, or freeze them once they are breaded, without baking them.

Once needed, they can be baked from frozen following the same steps - they might need longer in the oven to make sure they are cooked through. But other than that, this is a recipe that I whole-heartedly recommend, so do give it a go!