Zamburiñas a la Plancha is a Galician tapa of small variegated scallops (zamburiñas) cooked in their own half-shell on a hot plancha, finished with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon. They are smaller and sweeter than regular scallops, and a single bite of one — shell, sauce, all — captures the entire Galician coast.
Zamburiñas are the small variegated scallops of the Galician rías — the flooded river valleys of the Atlantic coast. They are a different species from the larger vieira (pilgrim scallop), smaller and more intense in flavor. Cooked in their own shell on a plancha with the holy trinity of Galician seafood — oil, garlic, parsley — they are a staple of the pulperías and marisquerías of Galicia.
A half-shell holding a single small scallop in a pool of sizzling oil, flecked with green parsley and gold garlic. The scallop is sweet, briny, with a slight chew. The oil is hot and garlic-heavy. Tip the shell, slurp it all in one bite. The Galician sea in a single gulp.
The scallops must be cooked very briefly — 90 seconds on the plancha is enough — or they turn rubbery. They are cooked in their half-shell so the juices stay inside and mix with the oil. The garlic and parsley go on raw, cooking only in the residual heat of the oil.
Variations
Some add a splash of white wine or sherry; some use a lemon wedge; a few add a pinch of smoked paprika.
On the Palate
Where Zamburiñas a la Plancha sits in the Spanish flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
7 steps · 15 min active + 5 min waiting
- 13 min
Scrub the zamburiñas; loosen the meat from the top shell; discard the top shell; keep the meat in the bottom shell.
- 22 min
Heat a plancha or cast-iron pan until very hot.
- 31 min
Place the half-shells on the plancha flat-side down.
- 42 min
Cook 90 seconds until the scallop just turns opaque.
Watch outThe moment the scallop turns from glassy to just opaque, it's done — about ninety seconds; a beat longer and it goes rubbery.
- 52 min
Add a teaspoon of olive oil to each shell; top with minced garlic and parsley.
- 61 min
Cook 30 more seconds; the oil will sizzle and the garlic will soften.
Watch outGive the garlic just thirty seconds in the sizzling oil — it should soften and smell sweet, not brown, or it turns bitter.
- 71 min
Slide off the plancha onto plates; serve with lemon wedges.
