Scallop Gratin

Oh my gosh!  These are just fabulous.  You gotta try 'em, we had these for an appetizer tonight and wow!!  Scallops don't have a lot of flavor -- so they need some help.  This is the recipe. 

Get 6 gratin dishes ready.  Pour 1 Tbl. dry white wine in the bottom of each dish.  Use a wine you would actually drink, not a "cooking wine".

2 pounds of sea scallops.  Pat them dry--very dry.  Cut the scallops in half if they are large.

6 Tbl. butter, softened
2 shallots minced
4 tsp. parsley
2 Tbl. lemon juice--fresh
2 Tbl. bacon bits
2 tsp.salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 Cup panko bread crumbs

Mix in the bacon bits and panko right before you are ready to assemble the dishes.

Here is the final mixture.

Arrange the scallops in each dish on top of the tablespoon of white wine.

Smear (or spoon) the topping over the scallops.  At this point you can put them in the fridge until time to bake and serve.  That is the cool part of this dish--it can be made a few hours ahead of time.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.  The panko will make the topping really crispy.

Tonight I served this as an appetizer with some crusty bread-- oh my gooooodnessss!

Thanks Food Network for the recipe!  Enjoy Friends!