Chef Isabel
Albergínies Farcides Mallorquines
Albergínies farcides are Mallorca's summer stuffed aubergines: tender boiled shells, a slow pork sofrito with moraduix, and a plain breadcrumb cap baked until the top turns crisp and golden.
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Zamburiñas Gratinadas
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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 cook•50 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.
Zamburiñas belong to the Galician Atlantic larder, especially the rías where small shellfish, mussels, clams, and scallops shaped the home and tavern table. In Galicia, zamburiñas are often confused with volandeiras, a related small scallop that is more common and cheaper, but the home method is the same: a small shellfish protected under a light cooked dressing and baked quickly. The shell itself matters, both as vessel and portion, which is why the dish appears so often at Christmas and other family meals where small rich bites are set out before the main course.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
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
garlic clove
Quantity
1 small
minced
jamón serrano
Quantity
60g
finely diced
dry Galician white wine, preferably Albariño
Quantity
75ml
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
1 tablespoon
finely chopped
fine fresh breadcrumbs
Quantity
30g
unsalted butter
Quantity
15g
softened
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon, plus more as needed
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
to taste
lemon wedges (optional)
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| zamburiñas or small queen scallops in the shellcleaned, shells reserved | 12, about 450g total |
| extra virgin olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| onionvery finely chopped | 1 medium, 160g |
| garlic cloveminced | 1 small |
| jamón serranofinely diced | 60g |
| dry Galician white wine, preferably Albariño | 75ml |
| flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| fine fresh breadcrumbs | 30g |
| unsalted buttersoftened | 15g |
| fine sea salt | 1/4 teaspoon, plus more as needed |
| freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
| lemon wedges (optional) | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •Baking tray
- •Small frying pan
- •12 scallop shells or shallow ramekins
- •Small spoon
Instructions
- 1
Clean the shells
Heat the oven to 220C. Rinse the scallops quickly under cold water if they are sandy, then pat the meat and shells dry. Keep each scallop in its deeper half shell and set the shells on a baking tray. If they wobble, make little nests of crumpled foil so the juices stay where they belong.
Do not soak scallops in water. They drink it up and then leak in the oven, and the topping turns wet instead of crisp. - 2
Cook the onion
Warm the olive oil in a small frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and the salt and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft, sweet, and pale gold, with no raw crunch left. This slow onion is the floor of the dish; rush it and the scallop tastes sharp and thin.
- 3
Finish the sofrito
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until it smells good. Stir in the diced jamón for 1 minute, then pour in the white wine. Let it bubble down for 3 to 4 minutes, until the pan looks glossy and almost dry. Take it off the heat and stir in the parsley and a little black pepper. Taste before adding more salt, because jamón carries plenty.
- 4
Cover the scallops
Mix the breadcrumbs with the softened butter until they feel like damp sand. Spoon a small teaspoon of the sofrito over each scallop, just enough to cover it without burying it. Scatter the buttered crumbs over the top. Pésalo, no lo adivines: too much topping turns a sweet little shellfish into bread.
- 5
Bake briefly
Bake on the upper-middle rack for 6 to 8 minutes, until the crumbs are golden at the edges and the scallops are just opaque. If the crumbs need more colour, give them 30 to 60 seconds under the grill, but stay there and watch. Serve at once with lemon wedges, though in Galicia plenty of cooks leave the lemon aside and trust the wine and the sea.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the smallest, freshest scallops you can. Zamburiñas should smell clean and briny, never strong. If the only scallops at the market look tired, cook mussels Galician-style instead and wait for better shellfish.
- •Volandeiras are the closest substitute and are common even in Galicia. Bay scallops work well far from Spain, but use shells or small shallow ramekins so the juices stay gathered under the crumbs.
- •The topping must be light. This is not a breadcrumb casserole in a shell. A teaspoon of sofrito and a pinch of crumbs are enough for each scallop.
- •Albariño is the natural wine here, both in the pan and in the glass. Any dry, crisp white wine works, but avoid sweet wine; it makes the onion taste clumsy.
- •Bake them last. The sofrito can wait, the scallops cannot. Overcooked zamburiñas turn firm and dry in the time it takes to answer the door.
Advance Preparation
- •The sofrito can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature before spooning it over the scallops.
- •Clean and dry the shells a few hours ahead, then keep the scallops covered and cold. Assemble only just before baking so the crumbs stay dry.
- •Do not bake ahead. These are best served straight from the oven, while the crumbs are crisp and the scallops still tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 105g)
Calories
195 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
680 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
10 g
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