Name: Baked scallops with tomato,garlic and herbed breadcrumbs
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 6 as a starter
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 12 extra-large scallops in the half-shell; 18 cherry tomatoes,split in half; salt and black pepper; 50ml white wine or champagne; 30ml extra virgin olive oil; ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves; ¼ cup loosely packed parsley leaves; ½ cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs*; 2 medium-size garlic cloves; 40g unsalted butter,at room temperature; 3 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano

Scallops baked in the half-shell with a suitably festive topping.William Meppem

easyTime:<30 minsServes:6 as a starter

With the red tomatoes and green breadcrumbs,these scallops look ready for Christmas – and they taste even better than they look. There’s minimal prep required,so they’re a perfect start to a larger meal,and although you’ll need to turn on your oven,they don’t take long to bake. Serve with a glass of champagne.

Ingredients

12 extra-large scallops in the half-shell
18 cherry tomatoes,split in half
salt and black pepper
50ml white wine or champagne
30ml extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup loosely packed parsley leaves
½ cup fresh sourdough breadcrumbs*
2 medium-size garlic cloves
40g unsalted butter,at room temperature
3 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano

Method

Step1
Preheat the oven to 225C fan-forced (245C conventional).
Step2
Arrange the scallops in an even layer on one or two large baking trays. A piece of crumpled aluminium foil under each one will help keep it level while baking. Add 3 tomato halves to each shell and sprinkle scallops and tomatoes with salt and black pepper. Drizzle over the white wine and olive oil and set aside.
Step3
To make the breadcrumb mix,combine the basil,parsley,breadcrumbs and garlic in a food processor and blend until the crumbs are fine – and green. Add the butter and parmigiano and process again to incorporate. Stop and scrape the bowl as needed.
Step4
Sprinkle a little of the breadcrumb mix over each scallop. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasty and the scallops are cooked through. Serve hot.