Is there anything better than creamy, broiled scallops for a special party or dinner? A simple white sauce highlighted with a dash of paprika and a splash of white wine gets extra melty with gruyere cheese before topping sweet swimming scallops.
Broiling the scallops with the sauce in their shell makes for easy individual portions that can be slurped up or eaten with a fork. AND, did I mention these take less than 30 minutes?
This is a sponsored post in partnership with West Coast Wild Scallops and Buy BC. All opinions and ideas are my own though.
This project is supported by the BC Government’s Buy BC Partnership Program;
delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding from the
Government of British Columbia.
The Government of British Columbia is committed to working with industry partners.
Opinions expressed in this document are those of Sabrina Currie and not necessarily
those of the Government of British Columbia or the Investment Agriculture Foundation
of BC.
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What Inspired This Recipe
These creamy broiled scallops are inspired by my Easiest Seafood Alfredo but are eaten in one perfect little bite! If you like this, you will probably also love my Italian inspired scallop recipe, West Coast Wild Scallops Vongole . Or try my Asian inspired Swimming Scallop Fried Rice for a bright fun twist on a classic.
For another appetizer in the shell, try one of my most popular recipes, Miso Baked Oysters also known as Oysters Motoyaki. The sauce is made totally different than these but equally addicting. In fact, you could top and bake these scallops with the motoyaki sauce too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Swimming Scallops - aka pink scallops and spiny scallops. These are sweet, delicate, cooked from frozen and just so beautiful in every dish they star in. Here in BC they are fished and frozen at sea by fishing family Joel and Melissa Collier of West Coast Wild Scallops. Swimming scallops are an Ocean Wise choice.
- Gruyere Cheese - a Swiss cheese that melts well and adds a classic flavor profile to these scallops. Gruyere is often used in recipes with seafood, a savory compliment to sweet and delicate shellfish.
- Milk - In the interest of keeping this "light", I've used milk instead of cream. Because of this, it is important not to add the wine to the sauce until it is thickened and at the time when you are adding the cheese.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
I've added a lot of photos to guide you through the steps. Don't be daunted, this comes together quickly and easily. It is simply a creamy cheese sauce spooned over opened scallops and broiled to bubbly perfection. Preheat your broiler before starting.
- In a pot, soften the shallots in the butter.
- Add the flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
- Add the milk, whisk and bring to a boil while continually whisking. Cook on medium low for a couple of minutes, stirring to prevent scorching, until thickened. Turn heat to lowest setting.
- Add grated cheese, parsley and wine (or lemon juice and water if omitting the wine).
- Stir occasionally until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, line a baking tray with foil (for easy clean up) and spread scallops out in an even single layer. They can be as close as you like. Put the tray in the oven under the broiler.
- Once most scallops have opened, remove from oven, wait a moment until cool enough to handle and pop the top shell off each scallop. Leave scallop on it's bottom shell on the baking pan.
- Spoon the filling onto each scallop until shell is full.
- Broil for 2-4 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Serve immediately garnished with lemon wedges and/or chopped parsley if desired.
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Expert Tips:
Only broil the scallops for 2-3 minutes, if the broiler is preheated, this will be long enough. Once most are open, take them out of the oven and pop the top shell off as soon as they've cooled just enough to handle them. Swimming scallops are caught and flash frozen when live meaning they are perfectly safe whether they've opened on their own or not. If some haven't opened within a few minutes, finish shucking them with a small knife pried between shells near the hinge.
Do not add the wine until the sauce has thickened. Add the wine when you are adding the cheese. If you add the wine early, when first adding the milk, the sauce will curdle.
Substitutions
- Wine - If you prefer not to use the wine or don't have any on hand, use 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Gruyere - You can substitute an equal amount of any cheese that melts well. Cheddar and fontina are good flavorful choices. Parmesan also works as long as you use freshly grated parmesan and use less. Parmesan is saltier so use half the amount of parmesan as you would gruyere or other milder cheese.
Variations
- Without Their Shell - Want to bake this in individual ramekins for a seated appetizer? Simply shuck the scallop meat into the ramekins instead of leaving them in shell. Top the scallops with sauce and place ramekins on a baking sheet and broil as per recipe.
- Spicy Cheddar Broiled Scallops - Swap gruyere for cheddar and add ½ teaspoon of Frank's Red Hot sauce or other favorite hot sauce to the cheese sauce mixture.
Storage
These are best eaten right when cooked (like most seafood) but leftovers will keep safely in your refrigerator for 2 days. If you're hoping to prepare ahead for a party, make the cream sauce, cool and refrigerate up to 2 days ahead. Reheat gently just until warm, then spoon on top of your freshly shucked scallops and broil.
This recipe doesn't freeze well, the cream sauce separates when thawing.
FAQs and Expert Tips
These are a luxurious appetizer that pairs well in many applications. Perfect for cocktail hour or add a few more appetizers and snacks for a casual evening of grazing. If serving these at dinner as an appetizer, follow with a simple crisp salad to refresh and then a main dish.
Swimming scallops (aka pink scallops or spiny scallops) are fished exclusively in BC, Canada. This is a unique, Ocean Wise fishery that has been undertaken by Joel and Melissa Collier of West Coast Wild Scallops who have carried on the legacy of this fishery from previous generations of their family. Similar in size to bay scallops from the southern USA, they can be used in most recipes that calls for bay scallops too.
Yes. In the case of swimming scallops that have been frozen at sea, they are BEST cooked from frozen. These sweet little bivalves cook up tender and sweet from frozen in just a couple of minutes. These are caught while swimming, meaning they are always live. Because they are live when caught and flash frozen, they are safe to eat whether raw or cooked. Occasionally, they don't open after cooking because of the freezing but are still safe to pop open and enjoy. Just use a small knife or another scallop shell wedged into the spot beside the hinge to open them easily.
Yes, they are so healthy. Full of protein, very low in fat and calories and full of vitamins and minerals, these are a really healthy treat. These make an excellent protein rich addition to salads. Simply steam or boil them open for 2-4 minutes, shuck from shells and add to your salad!
These are an appetizer I've made for years in various forms. I too, used to commercial fish and we would catch these sweet swimming scallops in our prawn traps. We would let most go but often enjoyed a feed of steamed or broiled scallops while out on the fishing grounds. Pink scallops are an affordable delicacy here on the coast and I hope you'll seek them out to try if you haven't already.
Related Recipes
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Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
Have a wonderful and delicious day my friends, thanks for reading along.
Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Broiled Scallops In Shell
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Shallots, finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Paprika plus more for garnish
- ¾ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Dry white wine
- ¼ cup Parsley finely chopped
- 1 lb Frozen scallops in shell (about 3-4 cups of pink swimming scallops)
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a pot, soften the shallots in the butter.
- Add the flour and paprika and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
- Add the milk, whisk and bring to a boil while continually whisking. Cook on medium low for a couple of minutes, stirring to prevent scorching, until thickened. Turn heat to lowest setting.
- Add grated cheese, parsley and wine (or lemon juice and water if omitting the wine).
- Stir occasionally until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up) and spread scallops out in an even single layer. Put scallops in oven for 2-3 minutes.
- Once most scallops have opened, remove from oven, wait a moment until cool enough to handle and pop the top shell off each scallop. Leave scallop on it's bottom shell on the baking pan.
- Spoon the filling onto each scallop until shell is full.
- Broil for 2-4 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve while hot, garnishing with chopped parsley, a sprinkling of paprika or lemon wedges if desired.
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