Have These Super Easy and Crispy Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops on your table in less than 10 minutes! Coated in a deliciously silky lemon garlic butter sauce!

Cheaper than going out to a restaurant and just as good as chef made scallops! These crispy, pan seared and juicy Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops are the ultimate treat when it comes to scallop recipes! Serve as a starter or main, nothing melts in your mouth quite like tender-crisp and buttery scallops.

Scallops

With so many shrimp recipes on this site, it was high time I gave the mic over to scallops. And what a recipe to kick us off! You have all been writing in telling us how much you loved this Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi recipe and this Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp recipe. Both are so similar to how we cook scallops, I had to share this one with you in time for Good Friday!

Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops

Just one of the many ways we love our scallops! Most people are extremely intimidated to cook scallops, especially because of their high price tag. Something you don’t want to spend so much money on only to have it go completely hay-wire. But that’s also the beautiful thing about scallops. They are a luxury and a feeling of fine dining washes over you when you have a bowl full of scallops and a glass of your favourite wine in hand.

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.

How To Cook Scallops

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!

Both sides of a scallop should be seared to a perfect golden-brown ‘crust’ with the sides opaque all the way through. They should be firm to the touch, but still slightly soft with a little bounce to them.

Watch how we make our scallops right here!

Seared Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops

Have Crispy Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops on your table in less than 10 minutes, coated in a deliciously silky lemon garlic butter sauce! Cheaper than going out to a restaurant and just as good as chef made scallops! They are the ultimate treat!

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Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 10 mins

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds (600 grams) scallops
• 3 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
• 2 tablespoons 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. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and lemon juice.
• Remove pan (skillet) from the heat; 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).

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 460mg | Potassium: 334mg | Vitamin A: 580IU | Vitamin C: 8.8mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.8mg