Roasted Hand-dived Scallops with Chorizo, Garlic and Parsley

For Gill Meller, a chef, award-winning food writer and author of “Outside: Cooking Outdoors - Recipes for the Wild,” living near the small fishing town of Lyme Regis, is paradise. In the summer, the beaches are bustling and the small fishing boats land their morning’s catch on the old harbour wall, making it an ideal time to score hand-dived scallops. 

It’s by far the most sustainable way to harvest the shellfish, and in Gill’s experience, they’re always fresher and sweeter than shop-bought. One of his favourite ways to cook scallops is in the shell, and here he shares his recipe for roasted hand-dived scallops with spicy chorizo, minced garlic and parsley. Finished with a squeeze of lemon and nothing more, it’s the perfect appetiser that will impress guests and can be pulled off in no time. 

Because scallops do well when cooked quickly and at a high temperature, using an Ooni makes total sense – the oven floor transfers heat directly into the shells, which cooks the scallop meat from underneath while the rolling flames sear them from above. They take no more than a minute or so and take on a gorgeous smoky flavour. 

Get ready for a taste of the ocean in every bite, and be sure to have a nice green salad and fresh bread on hand – you’ll want to soak up the buttery sauce at the bottom of the pan!



Difficulty

Servings

Serves 2

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

2 minutes

By Gill Meller

Two hands holding a roasting tray with roasted hand-dived scallops with chorizo, garlic and parsley.

Note

If you’re using hand-dived (live) scallops, you’ll need to prep them or ask a fishmonger to do it. If doing it yourself, Gill suggests the following method: 1) Take a thin-bladed knife (e.g. a fileting knife), and hold the shell upright (rounded edge on a cutting board, hinge at the top). If you’re right-handed, the flat side should face to your right, if you’re left-handed, to your left; 2) Find an opening as near to the top edge as possible and ease in the knife tip. Keep the knife tight to the flat of the shell and cut it down through the muscle where it meets the shell. This will allow you to open the scallop; 3) Run the knife tip under the scallop, remove it, and place it on a board; 4) Take off the translucent strip of frill and the black gut sack at the back of the muscle. Peel away and discard any other membrane around the scallop. Try and keep the orange roe in place. If it comes away, hang onto it. If the scallops need a rinse, do so and then pat them dry with a paper towel.

1. Preheat your oven, aiming for about 375 to 400 °C on your pizza stone.

You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer. (You’ll want to see some hot flames rolling over the ceiling of the oven.)

2. If using live scallops: Place each scallop back in its cleaned and dry half-shell, along with any roe that may have come away from the scallops while you were preparing them.

If using live scallops: Place each scallop back in its cleaned and dry half-shell, along with any roe that may have come away from the scallops while you were preparing them. Evenly space and place the shells onto a baking tray.

If using pre-cut scallops: Evenly space and place each scallop into your cast-iron skillet pan.


3. Drizzle each scallop with ⅙ of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

Turn the scallops over in the oil and seasoning a few times. 


4. Place ⅙ of the chorizo (about 8 pieces) and ⅙ of the minced garlic around each scallop.

Place a cube of butter on top of each scallop and evenly scatter the other 6 cubes around the skillet or tray. 

Tip: If using pre-cut scallops, make sure to use pre-cooked chorizo


5. Slide the tray or skillet into the oven and cook for about 1 minute.

Wearing oven gloves, carefully remove the tray or skillet from the oven. Scatter the chopped parsley over the scallops, turn the tray or skillet 180 degrees and return it to the oven. Cook for another 45 seconds to 1 minute, then lift the tray carefully out of the oven so as not to spill the juices.

6. Divide the scallops between 2 plates (take care with the shells as they will be very hot), and squeeze over fresh lemon to taste.

Carefully pour the juices from the tray or skillet into a bowl. Serve with a salad and/or fresh bread and enjoy!

Gill Meller

Gill Meller is a UK-based chef, award-winning food writer, food stylist and cookery teacher. Gill works closely with chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and River Cottage, and appears regularly on the celebrated Channel 4 series. A contributor to the Observer, Guardian, Waitrose Food, Telegraph and Country Living to name a few, Gill’s recipe column can be found in the award-winning delicious. magazine  every month. Gill's first book, Gather (2016), won the Fortnum & Mason Award for Best Debut Food Book, and both Time (2018) and Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower (2020) were nominated for the Guild of Food Writers’ Cookbook of the Year. He is also the author of the River Cottage Handbook on Outdoor Cooking and, more recently, Outside: Cooking Outdoors - Recipes for the Wild (2022).
  • 6 large hand-dived scallops in the shell (or 6 shop-bought scallops), rinsed and patted dry
  • Sea salt, to taste 
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 125 grams free-range chorizo sausage, cut into 1 ½-centimetre ½-inch cubes
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 50 grams cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
  • 4 grams flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
  • Fresh lemon, cut into wedges

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