Scallops Gratin

I am a bit behind on blogging....this dinner is from Valentine's Day.

Jon loves seafood, so whenever I want to make a special meal for him, I always turn to seafood. I chose an Ina Garten recipe for Bay Scallops Gratin to make for him on Valentine's Day, but with sea scallops. I was feeling a bit under the weather so Jon did all the prep and cleaning up and I did the actual cooking.

I used the gratin topping on chicken so I would feel like I was eating the same meal :) I honestly can't remember what we served with this... I think Jon requested baked potatoes but I don't remember the veggie!! It was probably roasted asparagus or broccoli.

Ingredients (I cut the below recipe in half)

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 2 oz thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma, minced (Jon doesn't like this so I omitted it)
• 4 tbsp minced fresh parsley, extra for garnish
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Pernod (used white wine instead)
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tbsp good olive oil
• 1/2 c panko
• 6 tbsp dry white wine
• 2 lbs fresh sea (bay) scallops

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
• Place 6 (6-inch) round gratin dishes on a sheet pan Instead, I used a small stainless pan that went directly onto the grates in the oven.
• To make the topping (note, see original directions if you would like to use a stand mixer. I used a hand mixer instead so the rest of the directions from this point forward are in my own words): Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Start to mix on low and add shallots, garlic, parsley, 1 tbsp white wine, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Still on low, add the olive oil until combined. Fold in the panko with a rubber spatula.

• Place 1 tbsp wine in the bottom of your pan or each gratin dish. Remove the white muscle and membrane from the scallops, pat dry, and place in the pan.
• Spoon the mixture over the scallops, spread it evenly over them, and place the pan in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Turn the broiler on for 1-2 minutes at the end if you want the top to be a bit crispy.
• Squeeze a touch of lemon juice over the dish and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Jon really enjoyed this, and I loved the topping on my chicken breast. Great, easy recipe!