Pistachio orange crusted scallops for a super tasty starter!

After the Christmas festivities we are now looking towards new year's celebrations.
I will certainly be buying scallops again this year. Scallops are fantastic for entertaining.. if you like sea food of course.
Gratinated scallops are a classic Italian way of cooking them and we Italians simply love them!
They only take 15 minutes in the oven and they taste fabulous. If you can buy them with their shell that will make them stand out on your table. They look very elegant and they can be cooked and served on the shell itself. If you buy them already cleaned (which will make your life easier) ask your fishmonger for the shells too, they often have some spare ones set aside.
When I am in Italy and I eat out I often get a tray full of them for the whole family to share.. and that will only be our starter!
To the classic recipe I have added some pistachios, just like for my calamari recipe, to give them an extra crunch and orange zest which goes beautifully with this type of fish.
Serve warm.
- Prep Time : 15 minutes
- Cook Time : 15 minutes
Ingredients
- fresh scallops - 8
- breadcrumbs - 100 g - 2/3 cup
- pistachios shelled - 100 g - 2/3 cup
- orange zest - of 1 unwaxed orange
- olive oil - 3 tbsp
- butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Clean the scallops. Put a little oil on the shell or on a ramekin dish if using one, then place the scallop on top.
In a processor grind the pistachios and mix them with the breadcrumbs, the orange zest and the olive oil.
Put the mixture on top of the scallops and a knob of butter on top of each scallop.
Cook for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
wow my mouth is watering, Alida. They look super fresh and delicious.
Happy New Year and I look forward to your delicious creations in 2016!
All the best Angie to you too! Happy 2016 celebrations!
Served in their shell these are heavenly to admire and devour. I also vary my toppings by using lemon or orange or clementine zest. Must make these scallops, maybe for capodanno 🙂
Love Capodanno my favourite night of the year…with more panettone and pandoro on the way! Buon fine! Ciao!
le faccio molto simili, non ci metto olio ma solo un pò di burro e ci aggiungo anche un po’ di prezzemolo, sono deliziose ! Buona fine anno e splendido 2016!
Grazie cara ti auguro un buon fine e un buon principio anche a te!
Che meraviglia, un antipasto da chef, molto bello da presentare e anche gustoso, complimenti! Buon proseguimento di feste, un abbraccio!
Another divine dish Alida. You really are an amazing cook!
Happy NewYear x