These seared scallops are large sea scallops that are cooked until golden brown and caramelized, then finished off with a garlic butter sauce. A quick and easy dinner option that can be on the table in 20 minutes!
When I’m looking to impress, I serve seafood for dinner. Some of my favorite options include shrimp Alfredo, grilled tilapia, garlic shrimp, seafood pasta or these tender and delicious pan seared scallops.
Seared scallops are so simple to make, yet they look and taste like they came from a fancy restaurant! This is my absolute favorite way to prepare fresh scallops, and it always gets rave reviews.
Table of Contents
How To Buy Scallops
You want to use larger sea scallops for this recipe. Look for scallops that are uniform in size and color and smell fresh – they shouldn’t have an overly fishy smell. You can purchase fresh scallops at the seafood counter of your local grocery store. Frozen scallops work well too, just make sure to thaw and pat dry before you use them. Scallops often come in two forms – dry sea scallops and wet scallops. Wet scallops are treated with water and chemicals, which preserves their freshness, but they won’t brown as nicely as dry scallops because they are often water logged and can steam instead of sear. I recommend purchasing dry scallops whenever possible for the best results.
Seared Scallops Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need scallops, olive oil, salt, black pepper, butter, garlic, lemon juice, herbs and lemon wedges.
How Do You Make Seared Scallops?
Start by patting your scallops dry with a paper towel. You’ll want to make sure the scallops are completely dry so that they’ll sear nicely and not release a lot of liquid as they cook. Heat olive oil in a skillet or cast-iron pan over medium high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the scallops from the pan, then add butter, garlic and fresh herbs to the pan. Let the sauce cook, then return the scallops to the pan and spoon the sauce over the top. Add a sprinkle of parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Seared Scallops
- Make sure your scallops are in a single layer in the pan and not touching. You can work in batches if desired. If the scallops are too close together, they can steam instead of sear.
- Serve your scallops with simple side dishes such as crock pot baked potatoes, carrot souffle, potato pancakes or zucchini casserole.
- This dish is best when served immediately. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat any leftovers on the stove over low heat until warmed through. You want to be careful not to overcook the scallops when you reheat them.
- Feel free to use any herbs you like in this recipe. I often use parsley because I always have it on hand, but other options include dill, thyme, tarragon, basil or chives.
Quick Tip
Choose the largest sea scallops you can afford. This dish does not work as well with the small bay scallops as they are more likely to overcook and before they get that golden brown crust.
Recipe FAQs
The secret to perfect seared scallops is to avoid overcrowding the pan! I recommend working in batches to make sure there’s enough space in between each scallop to properly develop a golden brown exterior. If the scallops are too close together, they will steam and will not get that beautiful crust.
Scallops are done when they turn firm and opaque. It’s better to slightly undercook your scallops and let them rest for a minute or two to finish cooking through, than to overcook them.
Large sea scallops need to cook for 2-3 minutes per side. You’ll want to closely monitor your scallops as they cook, because they go from tender and juicy to rubbery and overcooked in a matter of minutes!
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Seared Scallop Flavor Variations
This recipe is delicious as-is, but you can add other flavors to the mix to customize it to your tastes.
- Greek: Add 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives and 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese.
- Mexican: Stir in 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno, the juice of one lime and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.
- Piccata Style: Add 1 tablespoon of capers to the sauce.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add some cooked veggies to the pan after you make the butter sauce. Some great options include peas, spinach or broccoli.
Seared scallops are always an easy, yet totally elegant dinner choice. The whole family is sure to love this dish!
More Delicious Seafood Recipes
Seared Scallops Video
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Seared Scallops with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds sea scallops preferably fresh dry packed scallops
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs plus more for garnish
- lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the scallops dry on both sides with a paper towel. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it's just smoking. Add the scallops in a single layer and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Remove the scallops from the pan. Melt the butter in the pan.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice and herbs.
- Return the scallops to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with herbs and lemon wedges, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure your scallops are in a single layer in the pan and not touching. You can work in batches if desired. If the scallops are too close together, they can steam instead of sear.
- This dish is best when served immediately. If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat any leftovers on the stove over low heat until warmed through. You want to be careful not to overcook the scallops when you reheat them.
Amazing! I doubled the sauce and for herbs, I use a little thyme, rosemary and sage. I cooked linquini and used a ladle of the pasta water to the sauce and cooked down, tossed the pasta in the sauce and topped with the scallops. Absolutely incredible. Thank you for the recipe
Excellent!
Definitely a 5 star reipe. Restaurant quality sure to impress. Added broccolini to the pan and made a fabulous quick, easy and delicious dinner.
Oh my gosh! This recipe is amazing! I followed it exactly as written. For the herbs I used parsley, thyme, and a touch of sage. After the scallops were done, I tossed some fresh broccoli in the skillet with the leftover sauce and spices and sautéed until tender, with a little crisp left. Served with garlic butter mashed potatoes. THIS WAS A HUGE HIT! This will definitely be a 2-3 times a month recipe!! Delish!!
Pan fried some Western Australian wild caught scallops and followed this recipe with the continental parsley garnish. It was absolutely brilliant, sweet scallops offset with the warm butter and lemon garlic. What an incredible combination of flavours. Also, simple to cook with this recipe and basically you can’t go wrong. Can’t wait to have our guests over now this trial run passed with flying colours 🙂 Thank You Sara.
Delicious and easy recipe! Thanks for posting it!
This. was so easy and delicious! We used fresh thyme, parsley and sage from the garden – the sage really complimented the scallops perfectly! We added about 8 garlic cloves since was are garlic lovers. Will definitely make it again.
says add herbs, but which ones?
You can use parsley, chives, thyme or dill!