Baked Bay Scallops With Lemon Garlic Cream

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon zest

Ground black pepper

½ cup heavy cream

2 cups (16 ounces) bay scallops, cleaned (any tough muscles removed)

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, butter, a pinch of salt and the Parmesan. In another small bowl, combine the thyme, garlic, lemon zest, a hefty pinch of black pepper and the cream.

Divide the bay scallops between 2 individual gratin dishes. Pour half of the cream mixture over each dish of scallops, then sprinkle each evenly with the bread crumbs. At this point, the scallops can be wrapped and refrigerated for up to 24 hours or baked immediately.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cream is bubbling all over and the crumbs are browned.

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Serves 2

Nutrition information per serving: 510 calories; 270 calories from fat (53 percent of total calories); 31 g fat (19 g saturated; 1 g trans fat); 155 mg cholesterol; 1100 mg sodium; 26 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 32 g protein.

Alison Ladman