You can serve these in one of two ways: three scallops, each in large half-shells or small ramekins as a dinner party starter, or if you are lucky enough to have 18 small shells, serve them as canapes – my daughter appropriated my collection into her toy kitchen, so I had to beg for them back: “I’m making fish fingers in a shell!” She didn’t buy it. For anyone who isn’t a toddler, these are a lovely, easy, prep-ahead dish.
Scallop, leek and mushroom gratins
Make the sauce and breadcrumb topping the day before, then reheat the sauce and cook the scallops just before assembling and flashing everything under the grill.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 6 as a starter
2 tbsp olive oil
15g salted butter
1 large leek, trimmed, tough outer leaves peeled off and discarded, the rest finely sliced (about 200g)
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
150g mixed wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp sea salt flakes
100ml dry white wine
3 heaped tbsp cream cheese
18 queen scallops
Black pepper
15g grated parmesan
15g panko breadcrumbs
15g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)
Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil and all the butter in a large frying pan on a low heat and, when the butter starts foaming, stir in the leeks and garlic, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until softened – you don’t want the leeks to take on any colour.
Add the mushrooms and salt, and fry for five to six minutes more, until the mushrooms are soft and cooked through. Add the wine, leave to bubble down until the liquid is barely clinging to the mushrooms, then stir in the cream cheese. Add the scallops, turn up the heat to medium-high and cook for two minutes per side, until just cooked through. Turn off the heat, stir through some black pepper, then taste the sauce and adjust for salt as needed.
Heat the grill to high (mine reads 200C). Mix the remaining tablespoon of oil with the parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley and chilli, if using. Divide the scallop and mushroom mix evenly between scallop half-shells or ramekins, and top each one with some of the breadcrumb mix. Flash under the grill for two to three minutes, until the topping is golden brown, then serve immediately.
