Cooked in 6 minutes, this quick and easy Scallops Recipe is the perfect dinner. Easy enough for a weeknight meal but fancy enough for entertaining guests! Make this healthy scallop recipe with just 7 simple ingredients.
For tasty seafood recipes, try my Pan Seared Salmon recipe, Simple garlic butter salmon recipe, Blackened Salmon recipe, and Dijon Mustard Salmon recipes. Enjoy delicious meals with these easy recipes.
Cooking scallops can be tricky, but this blog post will help you avoid overcooking them. Don’t worry about ruining your meal – follow these tips for perfectly cooked scallops every time! This post will help you make restaurant-quality delicious golden pan-seared scallops for a fraction of the cost.
For this garlic butter scallops recipe, I use my cast iron skillet because to get a nice sear on them just like I use it to make my Pan Seared Scallops, Pan Seared Salmon Fillets, and Pan Seared Steak with Mushrooms.
How Do Scallops Taste?
Sea scallops have a sweet and delicate flavour to them and tastes almost like a cross between lobster and crab meat. Scallops easily absorb flavors, so you don’t need a lot of garlic and butter to make them taste like garlic butter. They are smooth in texture.
How Do You Pick Them?
Scallops are pretty easy to find at most grocery stores both in the fresh fish counter or the frozen section. For this scallops recipe, you’ll want large fresh scallops instead of the smaller bay scallops as the cook time will be different. If you cannot find fresh scallops, frozen works as well.
Wet scallops have been soaked in a bath of phosphates to preserve their freshness while dry scallops have not. The dry scallops sear much nicer as it isn’t water logged and taste much sweeter than their wet counterpart.
Ingredients to Make this Scallops Recipe
- Fresh large scallops — remove the side muscle
- Coarse salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Olive oil
- Butter — be sure you use unsalted butter as you’re seasoning with salt and pepper
- Garlic cloves — minced
- Freshly chopped parsley – or you can use other fresh herbs such as thyme and basil.
- Fresh lemon juice — really helps brighten up the flavour of the garlic butter scallops so don’t skip it.
Instructions to make scallops recipe
Prep the Scallops
- Remove the scallops from the fridge about 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.
- Place them on a paper towel-lined cutting board and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Season well on all sides of the scallops with coarse salt and set aside.
Prep your Cast Iron
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear Your Scallops
- When the hot pan is ready, add the scallops in a single layer.
- Sear (cook scallops) for 2-3 minutes on each side. They will be golden and cooked through to get the best golden brown crust.
Make the Garlic Butter Sauce
- Add the butter, garlic, fresh parsley and lemon juice. Saute for 1-2 minutes and add the scallops back to the pan and heat through.
Tips For Making The Best Scallops
Pat dry your scallops before adding them to your pan. If your scallops are wet, they will steam on the pan, and you won’t get a nice golden crust on them. I
recommend using a cast iron for searing scallops because it helps to make the best scallop recipe.
Garlic butter scallops cook in just about six minutes, so it’s important to keep a close eye on them to avoid overcooking.
Recipe Variations
- Change up the seasoning: You can season these scallops in so many delicious ways. Try swapping in paprika, cajun seasoning, or cayenne pepper.
- Use shrimp: If you don’t have scallops, you can make this recipe with shrimp, like my Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe.
- Use white wine: This recipe calls for lemon juice to brighten up the dish, but you can use white wine instead if you prefer.
- Add it to pasta or rice: Turn these garlic butter scallops into a fresh, restaurant-quality meal in no time by adding them to a delicious pasta or rice dish.
More Garlic Butter Recipes
How To Store Leftovers
- To Store: Scallops are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: Don’t freeze leftover scallops. They won’t taste as good or have the same texture as when they’re fresh.
- To Reheat: You can gently reheat your garlic butter scallops on the stovetop. Just keep in mind that because they’re such a delicate protein, reheating might cause the scallops to toughen and lose their creamy texture.
What Can I Serve Scallops With?
You can serve this seared scallops recipe with so many side dishes options like pasta, rice, risotto, salad and so on. See below some good recipes to go with it.
- Green beans: These rich and delicate scallops taste so good with fresh, flavorful green beans. My Garlic Butter Green Beans Recipe or Roasted Parmesan Green Beans would go perfectly with this dish.
- Roasted veggies: For a simple and tasty dinner, try serving garlic butter scallops with roasted cauliflower, roasted vegetables, or roasted sweet potato.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best to cook the garlic butter scallops just before serving to maintain their freshness and flavor. However, you can prepare the garlic butter sauce ahead of time and cook the scallops when ready to serve.
You will know they are done once they firm up and their color turns opaque.
Yes – just make sure to thaw the scallops ahead of time.
Place frozen scallops in the fridge overnight or quick thaw them in a bowl of cold water in your sink for 10-20 minutes.
Garlic Butter Scallops
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Primavera Kitchen.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Remove the scallops from the fridge about 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking.
- Place them on a paper towel-lined cutting board and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Season well all sides of the scallops with coarse salt and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the scallops in a single layer. Please, don’t over crowd the skillet and if it’s necessary, work in batches.
- Sear for 2-3 minutes on each side. They will be golden and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set it aside.
- Add the butter, garlic, fresh parsley and lemon juice. Saute for 1-2 minutes and add the scallops back to the pan and heat through. Enjoy immediately!
Tips
- If scallops are frozen, thaw in cold water before using.
- Make sure the scallops are dry before you sear them. You won’t get a nice crust with moisture on the scallops.
- I love the sear I get from using a cast iron skillet and highly recommend you use one.
- These garlic butter scallops are done in about six minutes, so keep a close eye to avoid overcooking.
- To store: Scallops are best enjoyed fresh but you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To reheat: Gently reheat the scallops on the stovetop.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
V Height says
Simple to prepare and delicious to eat.
Olivia says
Happy you liked it!
Jane Skusa says
So simple and delicious
Olivia says
Indeed it is 😉
Eileen says
Loved it ❤️
Olivia says
Happy you liked it!
Nandy Thompson says
Very easy and flavourful. Thank you.
Olivia says
You’re welcome!
Brenda Ponty says
Awesome, great help!!!
Olivia says
Happy to help!
Blaine ware says
Wish the recipe included amounts of ie oil, butter, lemon juice.
Olivia says
It’s all in the recipe box/card.
Yolanda Lee says
Delicious 🌹
Olivia says
Happy you liked it!
Brian P says
I’ve tried these a couple time and whenever I take out scallops and add butter, lemon juice and garlic the garlic always burns. When I put scallops back in the burnt garlic sticks to them. It’s not too bad, but definitely unsightly. Any tips?
Olivia says
You can lower the heat to avoid burning them, or cook garlic separately or use sliced garlic or remove burnt garlic with a spatula or tongs before serving. You can also try sprinkling fresh chopped garlic over the scallops after removing them from the pan.
Leslie says
Great recipe, thanks! I used a light dusting of garlic powder, Ajika seasoning and a no salt Herb mix as a rub before pan searing the scallops. I also added some minced lemon peel to the butter/garlic for that extra citrus pop.
Olivia says
Pan-searing the scallops with those flavors must have been amazing. Thanks for sharing your twist on the recipe! 🍋🔥