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Zamburiñas Gratinadas

Zamburiñas Gratinadas

Created by Chef Isabel

Zamburiñas gratinadas are Galician queen scallops baked in their shells under a sweet onion sofrito, a little jamón, white wine, and breadcrumbs. The secret is a slow base and a brief oven.

Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Christmas
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
25 min cook50 min total
Yield4 servings, 12 scallops

Zamburiñas gratinadas are Galician, from the shellfish country of the rías, and they are small on purpose: a queen scallop in its shell, covered with a spoon of onion sofrito, jamón, white wine, parsley, and breadcrumbs, then baked only until the top catches. This is not a heavy stuffed scallop. The scallop still has to taste of the sea.

The method that decides it is the sofrito, the slow onion base. Cook the onion low until it turns soft, sweet, and pale gold before the wine goes in. If you rush it, the onion stays sharp and the little scallops have nowhere to hide. Then bake them briefly under crumbs. Crisp top, tender scallop. That is the dish.

If you are far from Galicia, no hace falta haber pisado España. Use volandeiras if you find them, or small bay scallops set into saved scallop shells or shallow ramekins. Large sea scallops work only if you slice them into thick coins, and the texture will be firmer. Watch the oven like you mean it. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

Ingredients

zamburiñas or small queen scallops in the shell

Quantity

12, about 450g total

cleaned, shells reserved

extra virgin olive oil

Quantity

2 tablespoons

onion

Quantity

1 medium, 160g

very finely chopped

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