Baked Sea Scallops

It is a tradition in my family to have a seafood feast every Christmas Eve. From shrimp to scallops and crabs to clams, we cover it all. One of my favorites of the night are the baked sea scallops. My Nanny has practically perfected these and I would argue she could top anyone out there. The recipe is simple and nothing to fussy, but the secret to these delectable bites is easy - get your hands on the freshest and most plump sea scallops you can find!

Recipe yields 5-6 servings (yielding 2-3 pieces per person)

Ingredients
15 fresh, large sea scallops
8 cloves garlic
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, add finely chopped garlic.

Mix in breadcrumbs and parsley.

Add olive oil to the mixture and stir until crumbly.

Arrange scallops in a baking dish and add a handful of crumbled mixture on top of each piece.

Place the dish in the oven and bake for 8 minutes on the middle rack. Switch the temperature to max broil and place the dish on the top rack under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, just to get the tops nice and brown and crispy.

Serve alongside your Christmas Eve feast, or treat yourself to something special any night of the week. Enjoy!