Grilled Sea Scallops

Grilled Sea Scallops and Cheesy Polenta have golden brown, tender and delicious sea scallops served over a bed of creamy Parmesan polenta.

This combination of creamy cheesy polenta with rich, salty breaded scallops is absolutely magical.

This recipe is super easy and makes a very impressive lunch, dinner, or romantic date night meal for two.

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How to make Grilled Breaded Scallops

For the breading

Combine the bread crumbs, ⅛ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, and pepper on a plate and mix together.

Wash scallops and remove the small, tough side muscle. The side muscle is a little rectangular tag of tissue on the side of the scallop. It feels tougher than the rest of the scallop and its muscle fibers run opposite the fibers in the scallop itself.

Just pinch the side muscle between your thumb and first finger with a paper towel, and tear it away.

Don't worry too much if you can't find all the side muscles. They often get dislodged and washed away during the harvesting process and won't harm your dish if a few slip through.

Pat the scallops very dry with paper towels and place them in a small bowl.

Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and mix to coat.

Dip the scallops in the breadcrumb and cheese coating, turning to cover evenly.

Gently press the crumbs onto the scallops.

Place the scallops on a clean plate in a single layer.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the crumbs.

For the cheesy polenta

While the scallops chill, pour the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and place over high heat.

Season the broth with salt and pepper, and then bring to a boil.

While whisking, slowly pour the polenta into the broth a little at a time. Be sure not to add too much of the Polenta too soon or it will cause lumps.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the polenta for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, butter, and more salt and pepper, if needed.

For the lemon garnish (Optional)

Finely chop the parsley and lemon zest and mix together. Add the olive oil and lemon juice.

For the grill

Spray a grill grate generously with olive oil.

Place the scallops on the grill grate 1 - 2 inches apart and grill over direct medium heat until just opaque in the center, about 5 - 8 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Treat them gently when turning.

Remove from the grill.

Spoon half the polenta onto each plate, and top with the scallops.

(Optional) Drizzle some of the garnish onto each scallop and serve warm.

If you don’t want to use the lemon garnish you can also just drizzle some olive oil onto each scallop.

You may also enjoy

• Shrimp and Scallop Pasta
• Seared Scallops with Parmesan Rice and Broccoli
• Scallops and Bacon Pasta
• Lemon Scallop Pasta
• Scallops and Spinach

Grilled Sea Scallops Recipe

Zona House

Grilled Sea Scallops and Cheesy Polenta have golden brown, tender and delicious sea scallops served over a bed of creamy Parmesan polenta.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Seafood

Cuisine American

Servings 2

Calories 464 kcal

Equipment

• 2 Quart Medium Saucepan

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Ingredients

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

For the breading:

• ▢ ¼ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• ▢ ⅛ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ▢ 10 large sea scallops
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil

For the cheesy polenta:

• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ ⅓ cup polenta, or coarse ground cornmeal
• ▢ ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon butter
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

For the lemon garnish (Optional):

• ▢ 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Get ingredients with

Instructions

 

For the breading:

• Combine the bread crumbs, ⅛ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper on a plate and mix together.
• Wash scallops and remove the small, tough side muscle. The side-muscle is a little rectangular tag of tissue on the side of the scallop. It feels tougher than the rest of the scallop and its muscle fibers run opposite the fibers in the scallop itself. Just pinch it between your thumb and first-finger with a paper towel, and tear it away.
• Pat the scallops very dry with paper towels and place them in a small bowl.
• Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and mix to coat.
• Dip the scallops in the bread crumb and cheese coating, turning to cover evenly.
• Gently press the crumbs onto the scallops.
• Place the scallops in a single layer on a clean plate.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the crumbs.

For the cheesy polenta:

• While the scallops chill, pour the chicken broth into a medium saucepan and place over high heat.
• Season the broth with salt and pepper, and then bring to a boil.
• While whisking, slowly pour the polenta into the broth a little at a time. Be sure not to add too much of the Polenta too soon or it will cause lumps.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the polenta for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Stir in ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, butter, and more salt and pepper, if needed.

For the lemon garnish (Optional):

• Finely chop the parsley and lemon zest and mix together. Add the olive oil and lemon juice.

For the grill:

• Spray a grill grate generously with olive oil.
• Place the scallops on the grill grate 1 - 2 inches apart and grill over direct medium heat until just opaque in the center, about 5 - 8 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Treat them gently when turning.
• Remove from the grill.
• Spoon half the polenta onto each plate, top with the scallops.
• (Optional) Drizzle some of the garnish onto each scallop and serve warm.
• If you don’t want to use the lemon garnish you can also just drizzle some olive oil onto each scallop.

Video

Notes

• If you don’t want to use the lemon garnish you can also just drizzle some olive oil onto each scallop.
• Don't worry too much if you can't find all the side muscles. They often get dislodged and washed away during the harvesting process and won't harm your dish if a few slip through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 464kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 25gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 1203mgPotassium: 465mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 580IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 271mgIron: 2mg

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Hi and welcome. I’m Zona and I have a passion for recipes. I share recipes, tips, tricks, and resources to help you cook for two. Eat, drink, and enjoy!

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