Pan Seared Scallops Recipe

These pan-seared scallops are cooked until perfectly golden brown and served with a mouthwatering lemon and herb butter for the ultimate seafood dish. They cook up extremely fast in under 5 minutes, including the pan sauce. If you love seafood, then you will love this.

I love seafood, and I try to eat it just as much as I possibly can. It has loads of health benefits and the flavors are amazing. If you’re like me and want to check out a few new recipes, then definitely try my crab cakes or blackened salmon.

Pan-Seared Scallops

Pan-seared scallops are made by frying them in hot fat until golden brown and cooked to a desired internal temperature. While they can be served as is right from the pan, I love them with a sauce and accompanied with veggies, rice, or potatoes.

The version that I made is how I most often cooked and served them while I was working in the restaurant industry. I find it to be the easiest, best method of preparing them for the most amount of flavor.

Scallops are bivalve mollusks that have a muscle that is encapsulated in two shells. It’s in the same family as a mussel, clam, or oyster. They are most commonly sold shucked with the foot attached. There are a few different types of scallops, like bay or sea, and all of them would work fantastically in this recipe, with adjusted cooking times dependent upon size. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Butter – I always use unsalted butter so that I can completely control the sodium content in the final dish.
• Onion – There are a few items from the allium family that I use and specifically for the sauce and a garnish. I like to use shallots because it has a milder onion flavor that won’t overpower the dish. However, you could use a red, sweet, or white onion. In addition to the onion, I also use fresh garlic in the sauce and thinly sliced chives as a garnish. The chives bring out great colors and add just a hint more of onion flavors.
• Herbs – I love the combination of fresh thyme and seafood. It’s a gentle herb that always complements fish and shellfish. In addition, I use some finely minced fresh parsley to brighten the color in the herb butter for a hint of freshness.
• Citrus – I personally believe fresh lemon zest and juice is the perfect accompaniment in the butter as it complements the scallops as well as enhances the flavor.
• Scallops – The bigger the scallop, the more I want to use it. They look beautiful and have a large enough surface area to get a beautiful brown sear on it. I used U12s in this recipe, meaning 12 scallops make up 1 pound.
• Oil – I like to use avocado oil, olive oil, clarified butter, or ghee when pan-searing scallops. They are best for getting them browned up in the pan and for flavor.
• Wine – Any dry white wine like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio works well with this dish. To me, the brand doesn’t matter much. I always look for what’s organic and on sale.
• Seasonings – I only used coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper when seasoning the scallops and sauce.

How to Pan Sear Scallops

Make the butter: Start by whipping the softened butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, and finish by folding in the herbs, shallots, garlic, citrus, and seasonings.

Prep the scallops: I start by removing the foot of the scallops, which is a side muscle and can be overly chewy.

Pat dry: Using a folded paper towel, gently press the scallops with paper towels to remove as much outside moisture as possible.

Season: Using coarse salt and pepper, I season the scallops on both sides.

Heat the oil: In a large frying pan, I add enough oil to just coat the bottom and heat over high heat until it begins to smoke lightly.

Sear: I place the scallops along with 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan, flat side down, and cook them for 90 seconds.

Flip: Carefully turn the scallops over using tongs and cook them for a further 30 to 45 seconds. 

Remove: Next, I take the scallops out of the pan and place them on a plate to rest and begin to make the sauce by draining the oil.

Deglaze: Add the pan back to the burner and deglaze with the wine and cook until a few tablespoons remain.

Add the butter: Next, I remove the pan and whisk in the herb butter until melted and emulsified with the wine.

Sauce it: Generously spoon the sauce over the pan-seared scallops and serve.

chef notes + Tips

The keys to this dish being successful are ensuring they are browned without being overdone. That malliard that takes place on the scallops will give them texture and sweeten them up even more for incredible flavors. Even if you can’t get a perfect brown crust, the sauce will do the heavy lifting and provide incredible enhancing flavors to the scallops.

• Don’t overcook: Scallops are meant to be eaten at a medium internal temperature. If they are cooked too long, they can become very chewy.
• Any pan works: You can honestly use any pan you want and are comfortable using. I prefer to use stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, or non-stick ceramic.
• Use the right fat: The most important aspect of which oil to use when pan-searing scallops is the smoke point. Scallops cook incredibly quickly, and because of that, you want them to brown up without burning or overcooking. To do this, use a high smoke point fat like avocado oil.
• Scallop recommendation: Instead of nets or cages, diver scallops are hand-picked by divers, but it’s incredibly time-intensive. However, they’re more sustainably responsible. In addition, always buy dry-packed scallops for longevity and freshness.
• Sauce It: If you are looking for an extremely classic presentation, try serving the scallops with a simple beurre blanc.
• Leftover herb butter: There will be plenty of herb compound butter leftover that is perfect for freezing and using in other recipes.

Serving Suggestions

Scallops are extremely versatile and can go with a variety of side dishes depending on what I’m in the mood for. If I’m looking for things to be a little fancier, then I love serving them over creamy risotto.

Most of the time, I like to serve it alongside some garlicky broccolini and roasted red potatoes. While scallops are delicate when cooking, they are firmer than many fish, like branzino, and can handle being served with heavy starches like potatoes.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: Since scallops are so delicate, they are meant to be eaten as soon as they are finished cooking.

How to Reheat: Reheat the scallops straight from the fridge in the same pan-searing method. However, cut the cooking times in half so they do not overcook. I will say that whenever you reheat fish, it can cause the external and internal texture to be overdone.

How to Store: I cover and keep the scallops in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  These will not freeze well, and I would recommend freezing them uncooked.

More Seafood Recipes

• Shrimp Scampi
• Homemade Smoked Salmon Dip
• Homemade Gravlax Recipe
• Oysters Rockefeller Recipe
• Paella

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Pan Seared Scallops Recipe

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5 from 42 votes

These pan-seared scallops are cooked until golden brown and served with a mouthwatering lemon and herb butter for the ultimate seafood dish.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 8 ounces softened unsalted butter + 2 tablespoons
• ½ peeled and finely minced shallot
• 2 finely minced cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 pound U12 sea scallops, foot removed
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1/3 cup white wine
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, whip together the 2 sticks of butter for 4-6 minutes on medium to high speed until it is light and fluffy.
• Next, add the lemon juice and mix until combined, about 1 minute.
• Add the garlic, shallot, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, chives, and salt and pepper until completely combined. Chill.
• Remove the foot of the scallops, pat dry with paper towels, and season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan over high heat until it begins to lightly smoke. Add in the scallops quickly and turn the heat down to medium-high.
• Immediately add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to help brown and season the scallops
• Turn the scallops over after 1:30 to 2 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
• Cook the scallops for a further 30 to 45 seconds or until the desired internal temperature is achieved.
• Remove the scallops and deglaze with the white wine and cook until it is almost gone over medium heat, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the burner and add in 1/4 cup of the herb butter and whisk until melted. Reserve the remaining in the freezer for a later date.

Notes

The keys to this dish being successful are ensuring they are browned without being overdone. That malliard that takes place on the scallops will give them texture and sweeten them up even more for incredible flavors. Even if you can’t get a perfect brown crust, the sauce will do the heavy lifting and provide incredible enhancing flavors to the scallops.

Don’t overcook: Scallops are meant to be eaten at a medium internal temperature. If they are cooked too long, they can become very chewy.

Any pan works: You can honestly use any pan you want and are comfortable using. I prefer to use stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, or non-stick ceramic.

Use the right fat: The most important aspect of which oil to use when pan-searing scallops is the smoke point. Scallops cook incredibly quickly, and because of that, you want them to brown up without burning or overcooking. To do this, use a high smoke point fat like avocado oil.

Scallop recommendation: Instead of nets or cages, diver scallops are hand-picked by divers, but it’s incredibly time-intensive. However, they’re more sustainably responsible. In addition, always buy dry-packed scallops for longevity and freshness.

Sauce It: If you are looking for an extremely classic presentation, try serving the scallops with a simple beurre blanc.

Leftover herb butter: There will be plenty of herb compound butter leftover that is perfect for freezing and using in other recipes.

Make-Ahead: Since scallops are so delicate, they are meant to be eaten as soon as they are finished cooking.

How to Reheat: Reheat the scallops straight from the fridge in the same pan-searing method. However, cut the cooking times in half so they do not overcook. I will say that whenever you reheat fish, it can cause the external and internal texture to be overdone.

How to Store: I cover and keep the scallops in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.  These will not freeze well, and I would recommend freezing them uncooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 14gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 448mgPotassium: 273mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 542IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: American, French

Author: Chef Billy Parisi