These Easy Seared Scallops are a great recipe to keep in your back pocket for when you want a crowd-pleasing, but EASY, meal!
Scallops are one of those restaurant menu items that I usually get a little giddy about ordering because they fell into the category of “oh I can’t make those at home.” I thought that if I wanted buttery, perfect scallops, I’d need to order them while dining out. Turns out, I was SO wrong. I tried my hand (now several times) at cooking scallops in my own home and, after taking careful notes, have NAILED a method for Easy Seared Scallops.
The method is simple and I want YOU to have the same confidence while cooking up this delicate, delicious taste of the sea from home. Note that we get a little fancy in this recipe by infusing cooking fat with slivered garlic. You can either follow this method (if you like garlic), omit the garlic altogether (making it even easier), OR you can just use the Garlic Ghee by 4th and Heart!
So, cooking fat (butter, ghee, olive oil, etc.) is added to a HOT pan. Add the garlic to infuse (or don’t) and then move onto the scallops. The trick to perfect Easy Seared Scallops is to make sure the they’re patted dry before seasoning and adding to the pan. This will help you get that golden color on the sides. Next, don’t over-cook. Just a couple minutes on each side! If you’re using stainless to cook, the scallops will release after they’ve finished cooking on that side. Flip them over, and once finished, toss with lemon juice!
These are SO GOOD. My husband ate the ones pictured here like candy at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. They’re good then (as a weirdly-timed snack) or for dinner. Â If you love a good seafood dinner, you might also love our Surf and Turf Kabobs – they are so dang tasty!
I hope you enjoy!
Easy Seared Scallops
Ingredients
- 1 pound large scallops
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 2 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Juice of one lemon
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
- Additional lemon wedges to garnish
Instructions
- Add ghee or butter to a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once ghee is melted, add the garlic cloves. Cook for 2-3 minutes until aromatic, then remove from oil and set aside.
- Pat scallops dry, then season with salt and pepper.
- Once ghee is melted, add the scallops and make sure they are not touching each other. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown, then flip.
- Once scallops are cooked through, squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, toss the scallops to coat, garnish with parsley, and serve with additional lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
