Baked Sea Scallops with Garlic & Vermouth
By Yankee Magazine|Sep 24 2012|
Contemporary cooks are fond of using red and white wines in their sauces and braises, but we rarely think to use vermouth these days, which is a shame. This fortified wine, flavored with a proprietary blend of herbs and barks, has a wonderfully concentrated flavor that goes well with seafood and poultry. Scallops and vermouth were a popular pairing in the 1950s and 1960s; in fact, both Craig Claiborne, food editor of the New York Times, and Rene Verdon, chef of the Kennedy White House, published cookbooks that featured scallops marinated in vermouth. The combination of butter, garlic, and vermouth in this sauce is heavenly–be sure to serve with lots of bread for mopping up the juices.
Note: If at all possible, seek out “dry” scallops for your cooking. They are pale beige in color and have a purer flavor. So-called “wet” scallops are kept in a phosphate solution that turns them milky white and makes them absorb water, thus diluting their sweetness.
Yield:
4 to 6 servings
Total Time:
20 minutesIngredients
5 tablespoons salted butter, plus extra for dish
2 pounds sea scallops (see Note)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 tablespoons dry vermouth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Wash scallops and pat dry. Arrange in a single layer in the dish and set aside.
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. And garlic and cook until just translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and vermouth. Pour over scallops. Sprinkle cheese, panko, pepper, and salt over scallops. Bake until scallops are just translucent in the center, about 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.
Awful! Instead of bringing out the subtle sweetness of the scallops, it made them SUPER fishy tasting (more like canned tuna). Also, bake time is waaay too long. I ha to pull them midway because I could smell the panko and parm burning. Huge disappointment.
If the scallops tasted fishy, you bought crap scallops. The time is also spot on, so either you misread the recipe or you might need to calibrate your oven.
I made these for Easter, and plan on doing for TG, as well, due to COVID restrictions. I thought they were very good, and the time wasn’t too much at all, nor did they taste IN ANY WAY fishy. Mine were almost still translucent, so needed a min or so more cooking. Looking forward to having them on wild rice for TG.
Made these following the recipe exactly. They were delicious! Served to friends with rice pilaf and carrots. Outstanding dinner. Friend scraped dish with last piece of French bread. Trying same recipe tonight using haddock.