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!
WATCH US MAKE CREAMY SCALLOPS ON VIDEO
Creamy Garlic Scallops
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ pounds scallops
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 4-5 cloves garlic large, minced, or 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch cracked pepper to taste
- ¼ 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
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
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).
Leelee says
I made these (and served with pasta) for Valentine’s dinner for my boyfriend, and it turned out fantastic! I am still a beginner cook and the recipe was easy peasy to follow. I accidentally overcooked the first few scallops due to newbie error, but after getting the hang of it, the rest were perfect. Boyfriend was so impressed with the meal and kept complimenting how good it was throughout dinner. 😋 This is definitely one that I will utilize to wow guests lol.
Chris says
Quick and easy weeknight dinner. Taste was excellent, I recommend it.
Allyson says
Delicious…scallops were not as seared as shown in the photo. Used too much minced garlic. Like the idea of adding red pepper flakes. Easy/quick recipe to follow. Served over pasta. My husband loved it!
Janet says
This was really good and super easy! The gal at the fish counter said “remember, hot pan and cooks quick” lol. I added about 1 T. Of drained capers. Would have liked a little more zing to the sauce, but my husband said 8t was great the way it was. Thank you!
Janice C says
I just made this last night and it was perfect. Thank you!
Gil Namur says
Fabulous!
Our grocery store had frozen Scallops on sale. Buy one bag, get one free.
Made this last night and it was amazing.
Thanks for sharing this with us!
Betty P says
Excellent! I doubled the “sauce” portion and poured it over angel hair pasta! Simply fantastic!
ed says
Simple and exquisite! home run recipe
Tania says
Easy and really tasty BUT I would never cook a scallop for 4-6 mins! 1min max each side (I did 30secs ea side) or else they’ll taste like rubber. Otherwise this recipe is amazing!
Tania says
You are correct! Easy and really tasty BUT I would never cook a scallop for 4-6 mins! 1min max each side (I did 30secs ea side) or else they’ll taste like rubber. Otherwise this recipe is amazing!
Abby M says
This turned out pretty good. I’ll probably make again. Super easy to make! Definitely recommend if you’re having people over for dinner due to it being quick and easy, and seems fancy. I served it over pasta for three adults with one pound of scallops, Chardonnay as the wine, and light cream. I recommend doubling the sauce, and using two pounds of scallops if you are serving over pasta with more than three adults. Happy cooking everyone! 🙂
Julie says
Absolutely delicious! My super picky 17yo loved it, it’s a miracle! I added some red pepper flakes and Tony’s seasoning for a kick. Also, no wine so I used a small amount of white wine vinegar and it reduced perfectly. Thanks for this awesome recipe!