Conchitas a la parmesana is the elegant opener of any Lima cevichería: scallops left on their curved bottom shells, dabbed with butter, a squeeze of lime and a little garlic, then blanketed in grated Parmesan and run under the broiler until the cheese bubbles and turns golden at the edges. The coral is usually left attached for colour and sweetness. Each shell is a single hot, briny mouthful, eaten straight off the half-shell with a small fork while the cheese is still molten.
The dish is the most visible legacy of Italian — specifically Genoese — immigration to Peru, the second-largest wave of European settlers after the Spanish, who arrived through the 19th century and ran many of Lima's restaurants. They borrowed the Mediterranean idea of gratinéeing shellfish with cheese and applied it to the Pacific scallop, eaten on the Peruvian coast since pre-Hispanic times. Long a fixture of Lima's old Italian trattorias, conchitas a la parmesana has been absorbed into the cevichería canon; in 2025 it topped TasteAtlas's ranking of Peruvian dishes, a sign of how thoroughly the immigrant plate became a national one.
Under a crackling, freckled crust of browned Parmesan, the scallop is just-set, sweet and tender, never rubbery. The cheese carries a savoury, nutty depth that frames rather than buries the shellfish; butter and a thread of lime keep it from feeling heavy. The little orange coral, if left on, adds a richer, faintly mineral note. Sea-salty, hot and rich, gone in two or three bites.
Broiling from above does the work: the radiant top heat browns the cheese fast while the scallop, shielded in its shell, cooks gently from below, so the protein sets without seizing into rubber. The Parmesan browns through the Maillard reaction between its milk proteins and sugars, building the toasted, savoury crust and aroma. Speed is everything — a scallop overcooks in seconds, so the shells go in close to the element and come out the moment the cheese turns gold, the residual heat finishing the centre.
Variations
Some cooks add a splash of white wine or a dab of mayonnaise to the butter for richness, or finish with a dusting of paprika or chopped parsley. Conchas negras (black blood clams) are sometimes gratinéed the same way. A common cevichería plate sets a few conchitas alongside ceviche and a tiradito as a hot-cold seafood trio.
On the Palate
Where Conchitas a la Parmesana sits in the Peruvian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
7 steps · 25 min
- 18 min
Shuck the scallops, keeping each on its clean curved bottom shell with the coral attached if using.
- 22 min
Pat the scallops dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- 33 min
Top each with a small knob of butter, a little grated garlic and a few drops of lime juice.
- 42 min
Cover each scallop generously with grated Parmesan.
- 51 min
Arrange the shells on a tray and set under a very hot broiler close to the element.
Watch outSet the shells close under a very hot broiler — the top heat browns the cheese fast while the scallop, shielded in its shell, cooks gently from below.
- 65 min
Broil 4-6 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden and the scallop is just set.
Watch outPull the shells the moment the cheese turns bubbling gold — a scallop overcooks in seconds, and the residual heat finishes the center.
- 71 min
Serve immediately on the half-shell with lime wedges.
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