Name: Conchitas a la parmesana
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 29 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 12 large pieces cleaned raw fan scallops with sound oven-safe half-shells — 12 edible scallops, approx. 25 g each; chilled at 4 °C or below and patted dry; 90 g Parmesan cheese — freshly and finely grated; 48 g unsalted butter — cut into 12 pieces of 4 g each; 30 ml fresh lime juice — strained, for 2.5 ml per shell; 1 g ground black pepper — measured

Conchitas a la parmesana — measured ingredients, clear preparation and safe seafood handling

Yield 12 gratinated scallops

Prep 15 minutes

Cook 12 minutes

Passive 2 minutes

Total 29 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Conchitas a la parmesana — measured ingredients, clear preparation and safe seafood handling

Conchitas a la parmesana are scallops topped with butter and grated Parmesan and briefly baked until the topping bubbles. They are well represented in contemporary Peruvian seafood cookery. This preparation uses fan scallops, ideally already cleaned and supplied with sound, clean half-shells for the familiar individual presentation.

Parmesan brings salt and a savoury surface, so extra added salt is unnecessary here. A small measured amount of butter helps the cheese coat each scallop; lime juice adds a restrained citrus note without soaking the delicate flesh. Baking on a stable tray lets the shells heat evenly rather than tip their contents onto the oven floor.

A browned topping is a quality cue, not proof of a safe shellfish centre. Check the thickest scallop with a thin probe thermometer and continue heating until it reaches 63 °C (145 °F). Serve the scallops while the coating still moves slightly and before the flesh turns hard from unnecessary extra oven time.

Ingredients

Main

12 large pieces cleaned raw fan scallops with sound oven-safe half-shells — 12 edible scallops, approx. 25 g each; chilled at 4 °C or below and patted dry

Topping

90 g Parmesan cheese — freshly and finely grated
48 g unsalted butter — cut into 12 pieces of 4 g each
30 ml fresh lime juice — strained, for 2.5 ml per shell
1 g ground black pepper — measured

Method

Heat the oven and set the shells.Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Set twelve sound, clean, oven-safe scallop half-shells in a stable shallow oven tray, using a folded foil collar beneath any wobbly shell. Allow 5 minutes for this step. The oven is set to reach 200 °C and the tray holds all shells level without tipping; check that full heat is reached before loading. Safety: Handle raw shellfish with separate clean tools.
Dry and portion the scallops.Pat the 12 chilled scallops dry with clean kitchen paper. Put one scallop on each half-shell and spoon 2.5 ml lime juice over each; dust lightly with the measured black pepper. Allow 5 minutes for this step. Each scallop sits flat in a shell without pooling rinse water. Safety: Keep raw scallops refrigerated before baking; do not rinse under a splashing tap.
Add butter and Parmesan.Divide 48 g butter as 4 g over each of the 12 scallops and cover each with 7.5 g of finely grated Parmesan (90 g total). Allow 5 minutes for this step. Each shell has a uniform covering of cheese with a small butter piece visible. Safety: Wash hands after contact with raw scallops.
Bake and measure doneness.Bake at 200 °C for about 10–12 minutes. The cheese should bubble and just start to brown; use a thin food thermometer to confirm that the thickest scallop has reached at least 63 °C in its centre, extending heating if needed. Allow 12 minutes for this step. Heat: 200 °C oven. The cheese is bubbling and the scallop is firm, still succulent, and registers at least 63 °C internally. Safety: The 63 °C internal reading, not colour alone, is the safety check.
Settle briefly and serve.Let the hot tray stand on a heatproof surface for 2 minutes before lifting individual shells with protected hands and serving three per person. Allow 2 minutes for this step. The topping has stopped vigorous bubbling and remains glossy, with no loose liquid spilling over the rim. Safety: Shells remain dangerously hot; caution diners before eating.

Practical

Keys to success

The cheese can brown before the centre is safe; check 63 °C in the thickest scallop. Use a probe thermometer rather than cheese colour to judge food safety.

Serving and practical guidance

Three scallops form one hot starter serving. Bring the stable oven tray to the table only if it is resting on a heatproof surface, and alert everyone to the very hot shells. Lift each half-shell with oven gloves or tongs; never place a hot shell directly on a delicate table surface. The cheese and butter are measured to cover, not bury, each scallop. A light bubble and a few tan patches signal the right surface texture; the independently measured 63 °C centre confirms the seafood safety endpoint. Extra baking changes the tender texture and should be limited to what is needed to reach that temperature. Assemble shortly before baking rather than holding raw scallops at room temperature. If making for several guests, bake in a tray that holds all twelve without crowding so the total elapsed oven time is not understated. Leftover cooked scallops must be refrigerated promptly and reheated thoroughly before eating, though their texture will be firmer.

Control points

Texture issueCheese can brown before scallop centre is safe; use the probe thermometer and add oven time if below 63 °C.
Serving issueHot scallop shells wobble; level them on folded foil collars in the tray.

Nutrition per 3 gratinated scallops

Serving size3 gratinated scallops
Calories238 kcal
Carbohydrate4.1 g
Protein17.7 g
Fat16.6 g
Fibre0.1 g
Sodium541 mg

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: Molluscan shellfish and milk. Check packaged accompaniments, cheese and supplier practices for additional cross-contact where applicable. The nutrition figures are estimates for the quantities listed; the stated sodium total includes the measured salt and inherent sodium in the foods. Scallops are molluscan shellfish allergens, Parmesan is a milk allergen, and butter contains milk. Use a clean probe to measure at least 63 °C at the thickest centre of a scallop; a golden cheese surface alone is not a safety endpoint. Keep raw scallops at 4 °C or below before baking; protect hands and diners from very hot shells.

Closing

Result: 12 baked scallop half-shells, three per serving, served hot with clearly differentiated seafood and accompaniments.
Critical control: The cheese can brown before the centre is safe; check 63 °C in the thickest scallop.