Roasted Sea Scallops (Shrimp) Galician (Mexican) Style

The first night this dish was comprised of 2 dishes, one shrimp and one scallops, both roasted in the Galician style. The second night, I mixed them, having realized I really liked the shrimp, and roasted them with Mexican flavors. And actually, were I to do it again, I would skip the scallops entirely (I cannot believe I just typed that–but I loved the shrimp in this dish), because in my (admittedly limited) experience scallops give off a lot of liquid as they cook–and I preferred the drier roasted shrimp.

But anyway, I found this dish in Mark Bittman’s Fish: The Complete Guide To Buying & Cooking. I have only pan seared scallops, so I thought that roasting them might make for a fun, and somehow more seasonally appropriate, alternative. The first night I stuck very closely to the recipe, being a complete novice at this sort of thing. I served them with pasta. The second night, when I took pictures, I served them with rice and corn and beans. I used chipotle, cumin, cilantro and lime juice in the roasting. I preferred the higher octane flavor of the second night, but would consider making them the Galician style again, just upping the spices and adding lemon juice at the end. It really was a phenomenal way to cook shrimp.

Roasted Sea Scallops Galician Style
Mark Bittman, Fish: The Complete Guide To Buying & Cooking

1 medium size fresh tomato, roughly chopped (I used frozen from the summer)
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 T fresh parsley (plus some extra for sprinkling at end–my addition)
1 t paprika (Bittman does not say, the book is from 1994 so I decided to use smoked, which I prefer)
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops

Preheat the oven to 400 F (I actually preheated to 450 F because after the first night I realized my very cold previously froze tomatoes were delaying things). Mix together all of the ingredients except the scallops and dump them into a baking dish that is large enough to hold all of the scallops in one layer. Bake until the juices begin to bubble–Bittman claims 10 minutes but mine took longer. Mix in the scallops, return to the oven and bake until the scallops are opaque halfway through, about 10 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta.