Baked Scallops
This easy recipe for baked scallops topped with buttery cracker crumbs is delicious and elegant. The perfect dinner party dish!
By Yankee Magazine|Aug 03 2022|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanThis baked scallops recipe turns out perfectly every time—tender and succulent with a rich, buttery cracker topping.
Our testers called this recipe for baked scallops “easy and elegant — great dinner party fare.”
SEE MORE:
How to Make Baked Scallops with Ritz Crackers Topping
Oven-Fried Scallops Recipe
Scallops Guide | What’s the Difference Between Sea Scallops and Bay Scallops?
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
2 pounds dry-packed scallops (sea or bay)
1 cup crushed Ritz (or similar) crackers
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon dry vermouth
Garnish: Lemon slice, chopped fresh chives or parsley
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325º, and set a rack to the second-to-top position. Wash the scallops and pat dry. Remove the side-muscle if still attached.
Arrange scallops in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs, garlic salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the scallops evenly with the cracker crumb mixture, then the Parmesan. Pour the butter over all, then sprinkle evenly with the lemon juice and vermouth. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to “broil” and, with the oven door ajar, brown the top for an additional 2 or 3 minutes (keep a constant eye on the dish to avoid burning). Serve hot, garnished with a slice of lemon and fresh chopped chives or parsley.
The results of this very easy recipe were outstanding. The scallops were succulent. I would try a few different spices next time, ie: white pepper or more garlic.
This was so good.I did add little more garlic.
I have tried many recipes and they all were not something I would try again. This one was outstanding. I have made it a few times and it comes out absolutely wonderful. I do add a few additional Ritz crackers.
I love this recipe. I use it on fish and shrimp as well as scallops.
I have made many seafood dishes, but this one was my families favorite. I did add more Ritz and garlic. I also added a pinch of Old Bay.
Dying to try this one or combination of scallops and fish and yes some Old Bay Seasoning! New years Eve for 2! Yum
This recipe was very good! Used fresh bay scallops which just came into season here on Cape Cod. i placed individual servings in small casseroles & added a bit more garlic.
Absolutely delicious, but I added extra lemon and extra Ritz crackers!!
I have been looking for the *perfect* baked scallop recipe for a long time. Guess what? This is it! Simple, but jumping with flavor. Bravo!
Made this for my husband!!! He absolutely loved it. It’s a keeper
No vermouth please.
I have made this several times. It is delicious and so easy to make!
Can I use olive oil instead of butter in this recipe?
Hi Michele. For the best flavor, we recommend you stick with butter, but if you try the recipe with olive oil, we hope you’ll let us know how it turns out!
I don’t add vermouth but instead pour on a little half and half. Lovely taste
I do this same recipe with scrod or haddock . . . .delicious!
I have made this for years, with shrimp as well. Half and Half is an excellent option, as well as just a tad of sherry or even rum in place of the vermouth
WAIT! You MUST use RAW shelled shrimp, not precooked ones!
Sadly, the cheapest scallops I can find down on the coast in Georgia, are 15 bucks a pound!!!
Thats about right, we in the north get em for 12 – 15 $$ also.
I live in Massachusetts and have to pay $16.88 to $18.99 a pound for the sea scallops, a little less for the bay scallops.
I relish the flavor of the scallop, just the butter and Ritz crackers. There’s salt in both. Cape Cod bay scallops are the best followed by Deep Sea. The flavor weak Asian varieties would be good for this recipes or salads .
I’ve baked scallops for years … although I used Stove Top for my bottom layer (crumbs) and top layer as well. I sprinkle the parm on top and add pieces of butter … for the two of us, we have a # of nice big sea scallops. Occasionally, I use haddock on the bottom (above crumbs) and then add 5 or 6 scallops on top of fish. Pepper, onion powder, lots of butter. Just plain Cape Cod Yummy. (Do NOT overcook!)
If I cut this recipe in half and only make 1 pound of scallops, how long do I cook for?
All of the above sounds wonderful and I have tried them all. Now, you have to try baked stuffed lobster with the same stuffing mix BUT put sea scallops cut in half into the belly. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Yum!
Scallops recently are often on sale around 8- 10$ a pound in Ma.. I use this basic recipe with a piece of cod or haddock filet surrounded with scallops-yum!
Do you cook the cod with the scallops or cook each separate and then put together? Please respond as soon as you can. Thank you
Adding a 1/4 tsp. of cayenne to crumbs is a plus!
Wonderful , helpful comments, thank you !
Sounds good, but sea scallops in Belfast, ME average $17-19/pound.
I have made this several times, but no vermouth, when I can find scallops at a good price. Most N.E. seafood is very expensive here in St. Louis MO.
Hi Dottie, I live near the Cape Cod Canal in New England and Scallops cost 19.99
LOVE SCALLOPS. I have some baking in the oven right now as I write this. I live about 15 minutes north of Boston, right on the shoreline. I bought some scallops today and they were $26.00 a pound. It is no bargain around here…. we still pay big prices. Then again, they are worth every cent. It is not like we have them every day.
I just bought scallops yesterday for $13 a pound!!! I was amazed I found them for that price. I am trying this recipe without the vamouth for Christmas dinner. Wish me luck. By the way, I am from Mass.
We used white wine vinegar instead of the vermouth and it was fantastic. I don’t usually measure things and I added a bit too much of the vinegar and it came out great. Thanks for this easy recipe. It’s going into our regular rotation.
Paid 9.99 for scallops and trying the recipe now
Aldi has great frozen sea scallops for $9.99 for 12 oz. I cut the recipe to 1/3 of the original recipe. Great taste. I’m also originally from South Dartmouth, MA.
Just made this for the second time and my family went nuts. Both daughters wanted the recipe and immediately took a photo of my printed copy of the recipe on their phones! Served it with heirloom tomato salad and sauteed garlic spinach and of course, crusty ciabatta bread. Deeeeelish!
This recipe is extremely close to what I have been makink for a longtime. I. do not use Vermouth. chop garlic, use the Ritz crackers and I cook bacon halfway through then chop it and put it in with the Ritz crackers. Amazing flavor. People eat scallops wrapped in bacon. Give the bacon a try with the recipe. My family devours this. It is awesome.
Oops. FOrgot to mention that I use shrimp with the scallops. Also broccolini for a veggie. Put thinly sliced garlic, about 4 cloves, in about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan, boil broccolini for about 15 min then add to the garlic and cook til almost tender.
I love all of the comments on the price of scallops! I paid $150.00 (yes, one hundred and fifty dollars) to get 2 pounds of scallops and a pound of lobster meat delivered to North Dakota. It was worth every penny! My mom used to bake scallops this way. They were wonderful.
NEVER wash scallops!
Why not??
The price. Down in FL is $22 a pound
In MN also very expensive.
This is a stellar recipe. I always half the recipe for me and my husband and it is so good. A keeper (my hubby is, too, haha).
These were amazing!! Used a dry white wine instead of the vermouth. The browning under the broiler was the finish they needed.
You can use this on any type of fish or seafood.
Just helped a friend sell a car by listing on ebay.He brought me a whole 10lbs.of cape cod sea scallops.Biggest ones I ever saw.Just tried recipe which had garlic salt way to salty and parmesan over powered the sweet taste of the scallops.Just ritz,butter ,fresh ground pepper and garlic powder and monster almost hockey puck sized New England sea scallops.
I always wash fish before cooking. Don’t know where it’s been and who has handled it. Thank you NE Today for the great recipes. Keep them coming. You’ll make a good cook out of me yet !!
Used rice vinegar instead of vermouth My husband and I loved it!
so why shouldn’t scallops be washed. never heard that before.
Love, love all these recipes and ideas.
Agree all fish is expensive in Virginia. We do get a lot from the Chesapeake Bay but
Pricey too! However, ALL worth it! Stay safe! Hope to visit y’all after virus settles!
i have made this before and i use fresh haddock and chop up three or four scallops and add this to the topping lke stuffing. fortunately i live on the coast of maine and my friend has a fishing boat, just bought 5 lbs scallops for $50 off the boat, they freeze excellent.
To make this gluten free, instead of the crackers I used bread crumbs made from the ends of GF loaves of bread. It was delicious.
This recipe reminds me of the way my mother cooked oysters…they were availle in jars like this seen in grocery stores around Christmas. We are in Arizona so back in the 60’s scallops were rare in stores.
I have made a similar dish for more than 40 years. I cut up pieces of haddock in about 1.5” chunks, I use fresh, completely cleaned jumbo shrimp and beautiful sea scallops. I mix them together in equal parts (If it’s for a special occasion, I add chunks of lobster meat that has been slightly undercooked). To this I mix lemon juice, melted butter, a splash of sherry, salt, pepper and a dash of Old Bay. I toss the seafood this mixture together with this mixture until the pieces are all coated. Next, place in the bottom of individual casserole dishes. No melt more butter and mix with Ritz cracker crumbs which have been seasoned lightly with a little garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and Old Bay. Now, cover the seafood with a nice layer of the topping. Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes. Place under broiler to lightly brown the crumbs.
Thank you for this suggestion I was just thinking I have some scallops and I have some crab meat and I was thinking of making a casserole so you gave me an outline thank you very much
I live in Pennsylvania and scallops are expensive. I am planning on making this recipe for the guy in my life. I cannot wait to try it. Thank you for sharing
This is the way my Mum made skawl-ups 40 years ago in Boston. Instead of Ritz crackers, though, she used Uneeda crackers. I prefer them as they’re not as salty or rich like Ritz. I can’t find these crackers anywhere anymore. The recipe just isn’t the same…
I’m a curious person by nature and love challenges; many recipes that used Uneeda Crackers seem to approve of Unsalted Saltine Crackers… (never knew these existed) Have you considered these? It would be awesome for you to once again try to duplicate Mum’s recipe!
That would be a soda cracker, not a saltine. With salt, soda cracker is a saltine. Now, I love panko. I’m wondering, how about subbing the crackers for panko? Thinking about trying it with just a pound of scallops, and half the recipe.
Yes I love the Panko crumbs that would be great going to do this recipe????????
Scallops
For a gluten-free version, you can grind up GF crackers or even GF breakfast cereal–both make a good topping. I usually add in just a little basil to the dry topping.
Look for Goya crackers in the Spanish food section. They’re the closest to the long gone Uneeeda biscuuts.
Bu
Goya would be in the Jewish food section.
The Goya brand of products is in the Spanish food section of Market Basket.
Ritz crackers now come as “ a hint of salt”
Waaaaay too much cooking time. The scallops came out way overcooked. Cut it in half.
I agree! I never cook them covered or this long.
Really? Mine came out perfectly cooked.
Been doing this for years in Maine. It is the best way to cook seafood for a special meal……a group or just 2 … I usually use shredded cheddar cheese and apple cider vinegar instead of vermouth…..yummy as a scallop or a seafood casserole…but don’t overcook!
I like scallops in any shape or form. These recipes have left me crying!
Today is May 7th and i decided i was going to try this scallop recipe and followed the recipe to the letter. Let me tell you this recipe is a winner !!!!!! I have never tasted baked scallops as good as this recipe makes in my life (73yrs old). My wife went back for seconds and so did I . 2 pounds of scallops go a long way . I had to break up the dish into smaller casserole dishes that i had but it was out of this world . I had never cooked with vermouth before this . That little tablespoon of Vermouth gives it just the right amount of spice taste without taking away the taste of the scallops. Thank you ever so much for printing such a great recipe!!!!!
Absolutely, Delicious!! I managed to get scallops on sale and the recipe was so good I went and bought more scallops. I agree, a little extra Ritz crackers. I had no vermouth so used white wine. I think I would use Sherry next time. Thank you for a great recipe.
Want to make this great recipe even better. Dip the scallop in melted butter just before eating, the way it was done in New England in the 70’s
I use cheese crackers for lobster stuffing
Tried this recipe for Valentine’s Day because I wanted something special without all the fuss. This was perfect! I used sherry instead of vermouth and it was a big hit! I used fresh diver sea scallops. I did not broil them at the end bc I didn’t want them to get too tough so I only did the oven time. I agree with some above, maybe a little less Parmesan next time or use a Munster or a cheddar cheese. All in all very good and will be making again!
Make baked scallops from time to time. Live in Massachusetts and they are pricey. I just use a basic recipe, butter,lemon juice, butter, ritz(garlic butter flavored if I have them) and just a dash of black pepper, but instead of the expensive sea (diver) scallops I use the tiny bay scallops. Comes out great.
I have just one question though I just wanted to know if they could be cooked in an air fryer and what temperature and how long?
I substitute Vodka for Vermouth, and sometimes white Rum and it still comes out absolutely delicious!
Scallops don’t need cheese. They are great as scallops only, as plain as possible.$15-22 per lb 8/21 Mystic, ct
This is a pretty standard New England recipe for cooking fish..haddock, cod okay but not those delicate little gems called scallops! Just a quick flash in the pan with butter and lemon juice is the right way to go.
what can you use in place of booze?
I was wondering the same thing
lemon juice
In NJ right now they are $28.00 a lb.
I agree that the lovely butter and ritz crackers don’t need the cheese! I use this recipe for Baked Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp- with some finely chopped nuts- almonds or walnuts- don’t forget the little bit of garlic and the lemon when serving . I worked at several restaurants in and around Bristol County, Mass. and this was the topping and filling they used for shellfish! Yum!
For those of us who are careful of the salt content, I suggest you not add any salt. The scallops already have a salty taste and the Ritz crackers add a little more giving the scallops a delectable flavor. To the person who suggest dipping them in butter just as you’re ready to eat one, I’ve always found that mother nature gave sea scallops a great flavor (lobster too) why would you dunk them into butter. I’m sure it taste good, but I don’t want anything to disguise the natural flavor.
I completely agree, William and thank you for the salt tip. Never have I dipped scallops, crab or lobster as their natural taste is simply delicious.
I’m confused…where does the recipe call for salt?
In the ingredient list.
I use this recipe for cod loins or haddock. NEVER for scallops. Scallops cooked this long would be rubbery. I just dust them with a light coating of flour, put butter in a frying pan and sear them 2 minutes per side and they are done. Add a little lemon and white wine to scrape up the bits and you have a nice light sauce.
I’ve baked bay scallops like this for years. Always delicious and easy to do!
For a perfect company dish- use individual au gratin dishes- in each, put 1 tbs melted butter, 2 tbs crushed cracker crumbs- add 5/6 sea scallops ( halve if jumbo) now add same butter and crumbs on top- sprinkle with full Tbs lemon juice- bake 25 min at 350- serve with rice pilaf and whole green beans with slivered almonds????
My husband loves scallops, and this recipe put them over the top
Flash forward to the recession of 2022. I live alone and cook for myself. Dry Sea Scallops are selling at Market Basket for over $40/lb. I got a whole pound, wrapped 8 with low-salt bacon and broiled for an appetizer. I sprinkled half of the remaining with a little salt & pepper and paprika and pan-seared in butter — ate some right away hot and the rest went into Tupperware in the fridge for use in a couple of Romaine salads. I am using the rest in my version of this casserole recipe with panko and vermouth. Jacques Pepin said his friend Julia Child always had a bottle of x-dry Noilly Prat in her fridge, and so do I. It was fun reading all these helpful comments/suggestions. I LOVE YANKEE!!
Correction to my earlier post. Cash register receipt said 1 @ $45.78. I thought that meant one pound. But since I found the container in my trash and it clarifies that it was 1.86 lbs = total I paid was $45.78. Didn’t mean to mislead. Happy to correct it. And they are in the oven now! Yum!
Correction to my earlier post. Cash register receipt said 1 @ $45.78. I thought that meant one pound. But since I found the container in my trash and it clarifies that it was 1.86 lbs = total I paid was $45.78. Didn’t mean to mislead. Happy to correct it. And they are in the oven now! Yum!
This the best scallop recipe
Delicious!