Scallop Cooking Time

Our answer

Nigella's Scallops On The Shell (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) coats scallops in breadcrumbs and bakes them in cleaned scallop shells.

The oven temperature is very hot, as this is needed to crisp up the breadcrumbs during the cooking time. However, in our experience the cooking time is correct and is longer than the cooking time for scallops seared in a pan. The reason for this is that scallops cooked in a frying pan are placed into a searing hot pan so receive instant, direct heat. This causes them to cook quicky. An oven is indirect heat and the scallops are sitting on a cold shell. The scallops are also coated in breadcrumbs, which insulates them slightly. So the shell will take time to heat up and the breadcrumbs will slow down the rate at which the scallops cook through, making the overall cooking time longer that pan frying. However if you are worried by all means check the scallops earlier, as the size of scallops vary and also ovens vary. The scallops should be just firm once they are cooked.