Creamy Garlic Scallops

4.99 from 68 votes

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 scallops on your dinner table!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Creamy garlic scallops, scallops

Servings: people

Calories: 431kcal

Author: Karina

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

US - Metric

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).

Notes

Tip: Make sure your scallops are completely dry before searing to ensure they brown nicely.

Nutrition