Garlicky, buttery, and perfectly seared scallops take less than 10 minutes to prep and cook. Yes, just 10 minutes stand in the way of you having a fancy, restaurant-grade (actually better) meal at home. It's the easiest dinner to whip up when celebrating a birthday or anniversary at home, or just for a date night in.
Ingredients in Seared Scallops
- fresh large scallops (approximately 12-13 pieces)
- salt
- ground black pepper
- vegetable oil
- butter
- garlic, crushed
- Italian seasoning (optional)
- parsley, finely chopped
- lemon wedges
You will also need a cast-iron skillet and tongs for flipping the scallops over.
How to Make the Best Buttery Seared Scallops
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel (the scallops need to be very dry to get that perfect sear). Season with salt and pepper.
- Add oil in a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until the oil starts to sizzle and shimmer. To get those beautiful brown sear marks, make sure the scallops are very dry and the oil is sizzling hot.
- Once the pan is hot, use tongs to place the scallops one by one into the skillet. The scallops should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes. DO NOT move around or turn the scallops during cooking.
- Turn the scallops over with tongs and add butter and garlic to the pan. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top (optional). Cook the scallops for another 2 minutes and baste the scallops with butter by repeatedly pouring the melted butter over on top of the scallops.
- Transfer the scallops onto a plate with tongs and sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Tips for Making Scallops
- Make sure the scallops are dry. Be sure to pat dry the scallops very well. The key to getting those perfect sear marks is that the scallops have to be super dry.
- The oil has to be sizzling hot. This is the other key to getting that perfect sear. The oil has to be sizzling hot before you add in the scallops.
- How to store cooked scallops. It's best to consume scallops freshly seared. If you have leftovers to store, wrap the seared scallops tightly in aluminum foil or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Seafood Recipes
- Teriyaki Grilled Salmon Rice Bowl
- Healthy Fish and Chips with Homemade Tarter Sauce
- Tiger Prawns in Garlic Ginger Soy Sauce
- Ginger and Scallion Dungeness Crab
- Thai Red Curry Mussels
- Creamy Parmesan (No Wine) Risotto with Seared Scallops
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Recipe
Seared Scallops
- Total Time: 9 minutes
- Yield: 12-13 scallops
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Garlicky, buttery, and perfectly seared scallops take less than 10 minutes to prep and cook. It's the easiest fancy, restaurant-grade meal to make at home.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh large scallops (approximately 12-13 pieces)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional)
- 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped
- 2 lemon wedges
Instructions
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel (the scallops need to be very dry to get that perfect sear). Season with salt and pepper.
- Add oil in a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until the oil starts to sizzle and shimmer. To get those beautiful brown sear marks, make sure the scallops are very dry and the oil is sizzling hot.
- Once the pan is hot, use tongs to place the scallops one by one into the skillet. The scallops should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes. DO NOT move around or turn the scallops during cooking.
- Turn the scallops over with tongs and add butter and garlic to the pan. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on top (optional). Cook the scallops for another 2 minutes and baste the scallops with butter by repeatedly pouring the melted butter over on top of the scallops.
- Transfer the scallops onto a plate with tongs and sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Equipment used: You will also need a cast-iron skillet and tongs for flipping the scallops over.
Make sure the scallops are dry. Be sure to pat dry the scallops very well. The key to getting those perfect sear marks is that the scallops have to be super dry.
The oil has to be sizzling hot. This is the other key to getting that perfect sear. The oil has to be sizzling hot before you add in the scallops.
How to store cooked scallops. It's best to consume scallops freshly seared. If you have leftovers to store, wrap the seared scallops tightly in aluminum foil or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: American
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey says
I love how quick this recipe is! The flavours you have used for the butter sound so incredible!!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! Quick and easy meals are my jam 🙂
Amy | amycaseycooks says
What a perfect recipe for summer time. We have delicious local sea scallops here at the Jersey shore ~ this will be a great recipe to use them in.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yes, totally! Let me know how it goes!
Uma Srinivas says
10 mins to start to cook sounds awesome! I always prefer homemade food which tastes like a restaurant 🙂 Your pictures and recipe look great!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much! Let me know if you try this one. It's SO good!
Sophie says
Scallops look so so smooth and well-cooked. The cast iron certainly makes the difference by adding the nice crisp texture. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Kari Alana says
Searead scallops was a dish I used to make all the time. Then I stopped and started just ordering them in restaurants in the 10 years I was married to an executive chef. Now it’s time to start cooking them again. Thanks for taking me back. Yours look scrumptious.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! So happy to have inspired you to make some! Let me know how it goes.