I’m from scallop country — southeastern Massachusetts. We say “scollup”, not “scahllup.” The capital of this country is New Bedford, about 35 miles south of my hometown. New Bedford is still a major commercial fishing port, known for its scallop fishery. Scallops are always on the menu when I go home.
“The fish you buy today, swam last night in Buzzards Bay.”
I remember seeing that motto on the wall of the McMenamy’s Seafood market in Brockton, MA. When I was a kid I’d go there with my mother and watch the lobsters play in the tanks while she shopped. It wasn’t hard to imagine all those fish swimming the night before. Arranged on the ice, they looked frozen in motion. Who caught them and where? Did they get caught at night? Or this morning? Was it dark and scary out there in the ocean?
I still love going to Massachusetts fish markets. There’s many more types of fish and shellfish on sale and they all look fresher than the fish here. The markets have that clean briny aroma of the ocean, not the low-tide smell of fish that’s seen better days.
But I’m stuck with my local fish counters so I make the best of it. You can’t go wrong with this scallop recipe from the Saveur website. You don’t have to dress scallops up very much. They’re sweet and rich, only needing a little butter. If you could have seen my face last night after my first bite, you’d understand how good these scallops are. Damn good. If you’re avoiding meat for Good Friday and want something a little special, I can’t imagine a better meal – unless maybe there’s lobster involved.
Baked scallops for dinner again, with roasted asparagus and parsley red potatoes.
Baked Buzzards Bay Scallops
You’ll need a casserole and a broiler element in your oven.
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tablespoons butter, sliced into pieces
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine
- 1 pound bay scallops
- 16 Ritz crackers, crumbled
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
- Optional: lemon juice
Set an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. Find a casserole just large enough to hold your scallops. Add the garlic, butter and wine to the dish and place it in the oven until the butter melts. I like to let the garlic sit in the butter for a while before adding the scallops.
Remove the dish from the oven and add the scallops. Toss the scallops gently until they’re evenly coated.
Sprinkle the crackers over the scallops, and then sprinkle the cheese. Bake until the scallops are hot and have turned opaque, about 10 minutes. Of course, it’s hard to tell when they’re opaque, but assume they’re done at 10 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and cook until the cracker crumbs and cheese are lightly browned on top, it’ll take only a minute or two, so keep an eye on it. If you have a gas oven, it may not even take that long.
Get ready for swooning. Soooo good. I served the scallops with broccoli rabe – a bit too much of a bitter contrast to the sweet scallops. Next time I’ll select a different green vegetable, maybe regular broccoli. I also bought some cheese-filled tortellini because they were on sale. After cooking and draining them, I tossed them in a little olive oil, butter and black pepper.
Original recipe: Bea Conner’s Lightly Baked Scallops, Saveur
Photo by Jeremy Keith
