Creamy Garlic Scallops are just as good as restaurant scallops with minimal ingredients and maximum flavour!
A silky, creamy garlic sauce with a hint of lemon coats crispy, buttery scallops! With only a handful of ingredients, you’re minutes away from having the most incredible Creamy Garlic Scallops on your dinner table! People will think there’s a hidden chef in your kitchen!
SCALLOPS
You have all been writing in to tell us how much you have been loving these Seared Garlic Butter Scallops that I HAD to try them in a creamy sauce! You guys are going to LOVE this low carb creamy garlic scallops recipe!
HOW TO COOK SCALLOPS
This scallop recipe is just as easy as the original, with a creamy sauce consisting of 5 ingredients. FIVE!
Butter — unsalted is the best option which allows you to better adjust your seasonings.
Garlic — minced or finely diced. Use fresh if you can.
White wine — completely optional! You can use broth (or stock) as a substitute or leave it out all together!
Lemon juice — I only use 1 tablespoon in this recipe as I find it’s just enough in a creamy sauce like this one.
Cream — use heavy cream, thickened cream or evaporated milk.
Understanding how quickly scallops cook means you’ll never be intimidated again! They only take four to five minutes to cook — that’s it! You’ll have no chance of messing them up from now on. Guaranteed.
- Heat an oiled skillet or pan until it’s sizzling. Key step right here. You want them to sizzle and crisp to a golden colour on the outside.
- The first scallop should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil. If it doesn’t, wait and let the pan continue heating before adding any more.
- Use a large pan to avoid over crowding, or cook in batches to make sure they are at least 1-inch apart.
- Sear them without moving them for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Done!
Then go straight into making your sauce. Creamy garlic scallops in minutes!
HOW DO YOU MAKE CREAMY GARLIC SCALLOPS?
Melt butter in the same pan as the scallops, scraping up any delicious browned bits. This is where the flavour is!
Add garlic, minced or crushed.
Pour in a good quality dry white wine, like Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio and let reduce to half.
Add cream.
Simmer.
Stir in lemon juice off the heat and add the scallops back into the pan to serve.
Serve your creamy garlic scallops with as much sauce as you want! There’s an abundance here.
HOW TO PREPARE SCALLOPS
Try to find scallops without the bright orange or coral coloured crescent-shaped part still attached (or roe). The orange part can be a little bitter, however some people do like this part of the scallop. It’s personal preference.
If you can only find them with the roe attached, you can pull it off and discard it. If you have bought whole scallops, you will need to remove that and the muscle that attaches the scallop to the shell. For this reason, we buy frozen wild caught scallops without the roe.
HOW TO THAW SCALLOPS
- Thaw scallops in a bowl of cold water for about 10-20 minutes until thawed completely, or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Make sure to thoroughly pat them dry with paper towel to absorb all the liquid before searing.
SIDES TO GO WITH SCALLOPS
Creamy Garlic Scallops are perfect served with carb sides such as:
- Rice
- Pasta
- Mashed potatoes
- Scalloped potatoes
- Garlic bread to mop up the sauce!
LOW CARB OPTIONS:
- Zucchini noodles
- Cauliflower rice
- Buttery Mashed Cauliflower
LOOKING FOR MORE SEAFOOD RECIPES? TRY THESE!
Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops
Creamy Shrimp Piccata
Creamy Tuscan Salmon
WATCH US MAKE CREAMY SCALLOPS ON VIDEO
Creamy Garlic Scallops
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 pounds (600 grams) scallops
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 4-5 large garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic)
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or broth (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream (light, full fat or thickened cream. For a lower fat option, use evaporated milk)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- If scallops are frozen, thaw in cold water. Remove the side muscle from the scallops if attached. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot and sizzling. Add the scallops in a single layer without over crowding the pan (work in batches if needed).
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and fry for 2-3 minutes on one side (until a golden crust forms underneath), then flip and fry again for 2 minutes until crisp, lightly browned and cooked through (opaque). Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits left over from the scallops. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute).
- Pour in wine (or broth) and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half. Add cream and allow to simmer until slightly thickened.
- Remove pan (skillet) from the heat; stir in lemon juice and add the scallops back into the pan to warm through slightly and garnish with parsley.
- Serve over rice, pasta, garlic bread or steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini noodles).
Kimberly Campbell says
Delicious, have made this a couple times. I make extra sauce and serve it over rice , it’s one of my favorites.
Betty says
What kind of skillet is best to use? A regular or cast iron? Can’t wait to try!
Kim says
In Cast iron,everything taste better in cast iron
Star says
I made this for my boyfriend and he loved it…I cook for him all the time and he said this is the best thing I’ve cooked! The only thing I changed was I added shrimp, asparagus, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Greg Steffen says
Made this tonight with extra ‘sauce’ and served over linguine. Amazing!
Lisa Valenzuela says
This is an amazing recipe! Such simple preparation, yet so delicious! I live in Western France, known for their scallops. We bought 400 gms of fresh scallops yesterday at the market. I served them with left over potatoes au gratin and spring peas with butter. Dinner was sublime. Thanks so much for posting this recipe 🙂
Jim Townsend says
Haven’t made it yet, but I am a great cook. I just minced some garlic, and thawed the sea scallops. 6 of these huge scallops are on paper towels to absorb excess water. I also have chardonnay wine and heavy cream. I think I’ll cook some angel hair pasta and serve over that. Never tried lemon juice on pasta before, but as long as the scallops are properly seared on both sides, it should be great. Also tempted to add some dill to the sauce as well. Dill works great with seafood.
Jose Pantalones says
What does you being a good cook have to do with anything Jimmy boy
Burlyn Latta says
Lmao I was thinking the same thing 🤣🤣 like OK chef Ramsey calm down
Becky says
Delicious. Add red pepper flakes.
Makes four servings as stated. Served with rolls.
Maria says
I am so gonna make this! Any suggestions for sides?
Chris says
This was delicious and I’ll be making it again. I didn’t have heavy cream so I used evaporated milk and it was great. Great recipe – thanks for sharing.
Alesia Hall says
This recipe was oh so good!! I added a tsp of red pepper flakes because we like a kick to our meals and it was perfect. This was so easy to make and is easily a new favorite!
Cheryl says
I Made this recipe and the scallops were amazing. Made it with pasta but will definitely add spinach and have this dish over some salad.
Stacey Blumberg says
Made for the first time tonight. Huge hit! Thank you for sharing!
Yazmin says
Can this sauce also work as a pasta sauce for noodles?
Jim Townsend says
Yes. Maybe substitute lemon for parm cheese.
Janiece says
Great recipe!!! I made this for dinner last night and my husband raved about it (he’s a great cook and does most of the cooking.) We will definitely have this again. Thank you Karina!
Karina says
Wonderful! So glad to hear you liked it.
Carolyn Grossman Strong says
Amazing! Served over spaghetti squash- yummmm
Dana says
Made this tonight and it was delicious ! I added fresh spinach just prior to putting the scallops back in the sauce and served over garlic parmesan mashed cauliflower.
Richard Alan says
MADE this 3 times now, last time I did not other have enough scallops, so I mixed in 21/30 count shrimp. That was fantastic also!!
Lisa says
I have never really known what to do with Scallops. This recipe was delicious. Made it exactly as written. My very picky husband loved it!! Will make it again!!
Heidi says
Delicious! I added large shrimp also, linguine, and doubled the rest of the ingredients. This turned out amazing!
Maria Esparza says
Oh my , This looks so delicious ! I cant wait to make it for my Family. Thank you
John Barron says
Looks great. Will share results after trying!
Sue says
Amazing and so easy: Love the sauce and the scallops were cooked perfectly. Served with quickly sautéed spinach topped with sautéed cauliflower rice. Put the scallops and sauce over the veggies….yum!
Sara Parrish says
I cook a lot and often try recipes I find on the internet. This is literally the best one I’ve ever made. The first bite was heavenly. The sauce is incredible, compliments the scallops perfectly and works really well over a bed of zucchini noodles. I want to make this dish once a week. This is a lifelong keeper. Thank you!!
Craig H says
Marvelous! This prep more than makes up for a bag of frozen (definitely not diver) scallops. Served with a jasmine rice pilaf. The more of your recipes I try, the bigger fan I become.
Thanks for compliments I’m receiving for your work.
Stepheniy says
I’ve just made this and it’s quite delicious. I added bacon and spinach.
Anna Bee says
I used chicken broth instead of the wine, i think wine would bring out more flavor, but the family still LOVED this! I also used avocado oil instead of olive oil. Made the whole kitchen smell amazing and I will definitely be making this again!
Jenn says
this is very helpful as I have an intolerance to alcohol. Thank you for sharing a wine substitute!
Priscilla A Williams says
WOW! Just made this tonight and it is a keeper. I didn’t have an appropriate white wine so I sub’ed with broth. I also included a few shrimp along side the scallops and severed over rice. Yummy!
Lana says
Came out very delicious!Definitely will use recipe again in my future cooking.
Could be very good entry for romantic dinner.
I added some mashrooms and it tastes really good
DeeDee says
This recipe is very good. I’m currently on a Keto diet and this is what I was looking for. No liquor while on Keto, so I used Bone Broth. I made it exactly as instructed with the addition of half cup of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce. Served over cauliflower rice and asparagus. This is a keeper.
Tanya Darling says
This was my first time making scallops. The whole family LOVED them! Instead of wine, I used 2 TB champagne vinegar and a few drops of Stevia. It was SO delicious! I will definitely try this recipe with shrimp as well. Thank you for sharing!
Tyler Hinton says
Perfect and easy. Amazing.
Fab says
Delicious!! It is so easy to prepare and ohh sooo good!!
Always a bit hit!
Grace Diemand says
Fabulous recipe. We love baked scallops, but it is time consuming and messy to go through all the steps with flour, milk bath, egg and Ritz crumbs, so we don’t have them as often as we would like. Also, since my husband has type 2 diabetes, we would rather cut down on carbs. Living on Cape Cod, fresh sea scallops are always available, so finding this awesome recipe was amazing. The sauce is delicious. Will be trying this with fish and of course as a rare treat, lobster. Tonight’s dinner was incredible thanks to this exceptional recipe. Many thanks!
Leigh Zdon says
Since u found this recipe, it is the only way I cook scallops now. When I do have leftovers they are even better the next day. Tonight I am making this with shrimp and scallops adding parmesan cheese. This is an incredible recipe
Donna Devitt says
I made it with scallops and shrimp. My husband is the chef in the family but I was making dinner. He stood by, seemingly rather anxious. lol! But, it was a hit. If I can make it, anyone should be able to. I don’t enjoy cooking that much but this was easy and delicious. We printed it out and put it in our recipe box because we will most definitely have it again!!! Agree with the others – the sauce would be good on rice and pasta. The local seafood place uses crusty bread for their sauce, so one could try that as well. Thank you so much! You are an amazing chef:)
Jenna says
Could you substitute the white wine for marsala wine?
Karina says
Yes!
Nari says
So delicious and my super picky toddlers loved the sauce so much.
Craig says
I’ve cooked a lot in my life and by far this recipe is awesome it makes you want to come back for more I even took the extra sauce and put it over top a medium steak whoever came up with this sauce as definitely a damn good cook thank you for posting
Terri says
I forgot to add. Have all your ingredients lined up. This comes together quickly.
Reenie says
Being a New Englander now in Jersey I love scallops and this was a fantastic way to cook them. The sauce was so good; I used a Chenin Blanc for the wine and its definitely something I’d make again. Shared the recipe with friends and two have made it and loved it.
Michelle says
I haven’t tried this yet (just found it tonight) but I was actually thinking this would be really good if you reserved some of the sauce and instead of adding the scallops back into it you added spinach to make a creamed spinach. You could then plate it with a bed of the creamed spinach, top it with some scallops, and spoon some of the reserved sauce over top. I really look forward to trying this recipe out!
Karina says
YES Michelle! YUUUUMMMM!
Kevin says
Best scallops I’ve ever had! Amazing dish! Served on a bed of herb and butter rice with grilled asparagus and carrots
David Downing says
Salivate all the wayears through the Scallops recipe. As Amy mentionned, more sauce might help with some rice or pasta; following your note, easily done.
Will be serving this sometime this week.
Thanks,
David
ps, stars not working -Five (5) Stars
Ronda Lambert says
Can large shrimp be used instead? Thaw, devein, and remove tails, pat dry and proceed?
Thank you!
Ronda
Karina says
Hi Ronda,
Yes, large shrimp can be used instead!
Maria B Rugolo says
What a fantastic recipe. Super delicious. This website is going to make a good cook out of me yet!
Lori says
Does it taste ok with just broth? Don’t want to run to the liquor store.
Joy says
I’m always looking for new ways to cook certain food. You’re recipe was delicious! I added pepper flakes for some spiciness. Definitely coming back here! Thank you for sharing. Keep inspiring tastebuds!
Maria says
What kind of cream I need to make the sauce?
Kerry Scandale says
We made this tonight with some fettuccine. It was amazing! I can’t wait to have it again.
Anna says
I’ve made this 3 times now – absolutely delicious!! Going to make it again tonight!
Karina says
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing and letting me know!
Amy says
Hi! Will there be enough sauce to pour over angel hair pasta?
Thanks!
Karina says
Yes, of course! If you are needing more sauce you can always double it too, if needed!
Linda says
I made these the other night and they were the best scallops I have ever had. Better than any restaurant. Thank you!
April says
I’ve never cooked scallops but my family has been wanting me to. Followed your recipe & they were a huge hit. Thanks for the confidence to cook these.
Monika says
I love your recipes and this looks delicious! Can’t wait to make it!