[VIDEO] Pan Seared Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops

By SweetnSpicyLiving on September 3, 2022 • ( 2 Comments )

Restaurant quality home cooked Pan Seared Lemon and Garlic Butter Scallops, yes it’s possible. You not only save a lot, you get to eat more for less the cost of ordering it in restaurant. A simple yet elegant way to cook and serve Scallop. Sear it, season it well and butter it up. Just like that.

When I think of it, I had never ordered Scallop in the restaurant. I often find it quite too pricey for the portion that they are serving. Scallops looks so elegant and nicely plated when served in restaurants, which adds to the reason why they are quite expensive. I wouldn’t consider them a full meal on its own because of the small serving portion, but when you make it at home, you. An have more and really enjoy it. You do not have to fight for each piece 🙂 A small bag of 300g is more than enough for me even if I share it. I’ve decided to buy and cook Scallop at home, I couldn’t be more happier with my decision.

How to Cook Scallop?

There are few options on how to cook Scallop, so far searing and grilled is my favorite ways to cook it. You can also bake it. Scallop cooks very quickly, almost like a shrimp. This means, however you choose to cook it, you can have it sooner than later. Searing will only takes about 2-3 minutes per side, juts make sure you have a really hot sizzling pan when you put the Scallop on it. How pan produces a nice browning as long as you keep it in place and not flip it until after 3 minutes or so.

About This Recipe

Ease in Making the Recipe: This is a simple recipe, no need for any cooking skills. No complicated process, as you as you know how to sear, you can do this. Searing is just cooking in really hot pan without flipping it often. This method produces nice browning and crispy exterior
Ingredients: Scallop is the main ingredient in this recipe, probably not something that most people have on hand but they are not difficult to find. I got a large pack to try and I like it. The rest are just butter, lemon, seasoning and spices. The lemon is very important here to remove the strong “fishy/seafood” taste, plus it works well with garlic and butter in balancing the taste. I used frozen Scallop as that is the one accessible to me, if you have fresh, even better.
Texture, Taste & Flavor: This dish is extremely flavorful! I love the sting lemon taste with the garlic and the light punch of heat from the peppers. Every bite is really bursting with flavor. The Scallop is soft and moist and it really absorbed it the flavor of the marinade. This is a dish that is highly recommend you make. It’s quick, easy, flavorful and definitely delicious.
Make-Ahead: I wouldn’t recommend making this ahead as the texture is better right after cooking. This cooks so fast almost like a shrimp or a salmon, there’s no need to make it ahead. If you are making a large batch, you can marinate the scallops overnight and the cook it the following day.

Ingredients for Pan Seared Scallops

Scallops – fresh or frozen. If using frozen, thaw first before marinating to avoid too much water in the marinade.
Oil – to seat the Scallops. You can also use butter
Butter – for extra richness and taste
Seasoning and Spices for taste – I used basic salt and pepper
Garlic – minced garlic 🧄 I find it works well with butter and lemon
Lemon 🍋 to add freshness and to remove the strong “fishy/seafood” taste
Cilantro 🌿- for freshness, don’t skip this

How to Make Pan Seared Scallops

Start by marinating the Scallops. You can do this ahead of time, cover and keep refrigerated ready for cooking the following day. Because I only cook this for myself, I only use few pieces which is not much hassle to marinate the same day.

Next is to pan sear the Scallops. Pan searing is a cooking method that’s uses hot pan and small amount of fat (butter or oil or combination of both).

I like to remove the scallop after searing as to. not to over cook it. Use the same pan to melt the butter no need to wash and add the extra marinade (if any), plus seasoning, spices and herbs. Then return the Scallop and turn off the heat. Let the Scallop sit in the garlic butter mixture then transfer in a serving plate.

That’s it! So easy! This is a great weeknight dinner for when you do not have much time to cook.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/2 tablespoon Butter
150g/ 8 pieces Scallops
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
3 cloves Garlic – minced
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 tablespoon Fresh Cilantro or Parsley – chopped

Instructions:

Transfer the scallops in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, peppers and minced garlic. Marinate at least 1 hr or overnight.
Add Olive oil in the heated pan. Sear both sides of the scallops for at least 3 minutes. At this time, do NOT flip and move to get a nice browning. Remove from the pan.
Using the same bowl, add butter and pour the marinade of the scallop. Add white wine or broth and bring to a simmer until light reduce. Pay attention to the garlic, you don’t want them too brown. Add chopped cilantro and return the cooked scallops. Squeeze more lemon juice.
Transfer in a serving plate.

Serves 1

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