I adore scallops. I like them deep fried, sauteed, even eaten raw, sashimi-style. I also love gratinated dishes. I relish the crisp tangy taste of grilled parmesan over, well, just about anything. So, when I saw this dish while leafing through some cookbooks–my wife and I were planning a Father’s Day lunch–I knew I had to try it. Not only did it combine these two things I like so much, but it looked really easy… or as my wife likes to say, when she’s feeling silly, “easy-peasy-Japaneazy.”
The recipe is from Nobu’s second cookbook, Nobu Now, but is more French or Italian than Japanese. All you really need are good, fresh scallops and their shells, soy sauce, garlic, butter, lemon, and parmesan. Nobu uses parsley but I swapped it for some tiny morsels of bacon.
Clean your scallops, disconnecting them from their shells and then after patting dry, placing them back on again. Add a tiny amount of butter on the scallop, a drop of soy, a little grated garlic, and (for me) a few of the bacon morsels (already cooked). Sprinkle the scallops with freshly grated parmesan and pop them into a preheated oven and cook at 200 Degrees C for 4-5 minutes. Please note that if using a convection oven to place your scallops on the highest rack, so that the cheese is nearest the hot metal conductors. Serve the finished scallops with a wedge of lemon and leave it to your guests to add the juice if they want to.
We served this as a starter to a simple 4-course Father’s Day lunch and it went over really well. My only regret is that I only bought enough for one scallop per person. I could have easily eaten a plate full of them.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
