Baked scallops with crispy serrano ham recipe
The scallop shell is the symbol of Saint Santiago de Compostela, a popular destination for Christian pilgrims, and as a child I never knew that the contents could taste so good – I thought it was simply a religious symbol. The first time I ate scallops it was love at first taste of the beautiful shiny coral.
This dish is a great combination of flavours, with a hint of chilli. Ask your fishmonger to clean the scallops for you, and to give you the shells.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 8 Slices of serrano ham
- 8 Scallops, with their shells
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
- 5 Sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 0.5 Red chilli, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 5 mins
- Cooking Time: 15 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.
- Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the ham until it's crispy. Set the slices aside on kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil.
- Mix together the salt, garlic, parsley, chilli and lemon juice. Put the scallops in their shells on a baking tray. Distribute the parsley mixture between the scallops. You don't need much, otherwise you'll overwhelm the flavour of the shellfish. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Place a slice of ham over each scallop and serve immediately with fresh bread to mop up the delicious juices.
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