Lemon Butter Scallops
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
All you need is 5 ingredients + 10 minutes for the most amazing, buttery scallops ever. So easy, so simple, so fancy!
As much as I love scallops, I have always been very hesitant to cook with it. At $20 per pound, there is absolutely no room for error when it comes to cooking these.
But little did I know with a few handy tricks, scallops are actually one of the easiest (and quickest) meals to whip up, and they’re just on par with restaurant-quality scallops.
And this lemon butter sauce is absolutely unreal, and the perfect accompaniment to these golden brown oh-so-perfectly seared scallops.
Just remember – you’ll want to have your side dishes and/or light salads ready to go since these scallops will be ready in a flash in just 10 minutes from start to finish!
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Lemon Butter Scallops: Frequently Asked Questions
Unsalted butter allows you to add as much salt (or as little) salt in your dish. It allows for more control and consistency.
Any of these side dishes and/or light salads would go beautifully with these scallops. Our favorites include glazed carrots, roasted cauliflower, and chicken caesar salad with homemade croutons.
You can also serve this with some light crusty bread to sop up all that leftover sauce!
Lemon Butter Scallops
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound scallops
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the lemon butter sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.
- Season scallops with salt and pepper, to taste. Working in batches, add scallops to the skillet in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and translucent in the center, about 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside and keep warm.
- Serve scallops immediately with lemon butter sauce, garnished with parsley, if desired.
for the lemon butter sauce
- Melt butter in the skillet. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
What is meant by “butter campaignIcon coupons ” ?
Where will I get my answer , here or in my email?
You can disregard.
Can I lightly flour the scallops and shrimp together and then saute them? And can I do this in advance and warm them up later for dinner guests with negative effect, e.g., toughness. I’m used to making Coquille St Jacques and would like to combine that recipe with yours plus using shrimp and scallops together.
Yes, you can absolutely flour the scallops and shrimp together. But this is best when served immediately. I do not recommend reheating.
Made these tonite for a birthday dinner. Easy and so yummy!! Also made Orzo With Parmesan and Basil and steamed asparagus. Made 1 1/2 times the sauce. Will definitely make again.
Made this tonight. So easy…so tasty!
How do you keep the scallops warm while making the sauce? And do you think it would taste okay if I added spinach to the sauce or would that make it taste weird?
You can wrap the scallops in foil to retain some of the heat. And yes, spinach would be an amazing addition!
I added Snipped chives, for garnish, 20g of grated mozzarella cheese and 5 drops of lemon grated in orange syrup to add its taste. I need to say that it’s a scrumptious dish which I have tried till now. I have also tried your BAKED PINEAPPLE CHICKEN BOWLS, which was really tasty. I shared this website with my colleague Amana, who just loves trying out delicious recipes. She suggested me a website with varieties of recipe which looks delicious. I will share here the link for those who love to tryhttp://www.nestle-family.com/recipes/english/impress-your-guests-recipes.aspx
I’m sorry to say this, but the sauce ruined it. It overwhelmed the dish with lemon! Both my date and I didn’t like the sauce. On the other hand, when we tried the leftover butter from the saucepan used to make the scallops, we both thought that would’ve been a delish sauce to serve the scallops with. It would’ve been a little too plain to be ideal, but nonetheless, would’ve been tastier than the POWERFULLY lemony lemon sauce. If you want to make the sauce, I advise using only 1/4 of a lemon or even 1/8th. You just want a hint of lemon along with the butter, salt, pepper, and of course, the scallops.
I recommend using less lemon and maybe less garlic next time.
Made these tonight with bay scallops, tiny little morsels of yummy. This dish was divine. Served it with rice pilaf. Will make this again for sure.
I do not post comments on blogs very often but I I have found myself visiting your site so often when looking for recipes that I just had to let you know what a wonderful site you have! I have always wanted to like zucchini but have never had any success. I have tried a few different recipes but just didn’t like it. I do not eat meat but do eat seafood and so I am limited in my food choices. I tried your baked Parmesan zucchini and fell instantly in love with tit! I am going to definitely try this recipe soon! Thank you for all of your time and efforts in bringing this site to life!
OMG, these are INCREDIBLY GOOD AND SO EASY to make!!! Made this recipe tonite….followed the recipe to a T. No changes. Used Whole Foods frozen sea scallops, but thawed them for 24 hrs. 5 min before sautéing, i put them on a plate & dried with paper towels. It did take about 2 min per side to get that perfect golden color. You MUST add that very flavorful sauce….simply spoon over the scallops. Side dishes: wild rice, green beans, & a salad. Hubby said it tasted like a 5☆ restaurant meal. 🙂
This was very helpful, thank you
Thank you for mentioning the little muscle on the scallops, Chungah. I don’t know how many nice restaurants that fail to do that. I mixed a tablespoon of cilantro with a tablespoon of parsley for another taste.
Looks so good!!!!
Should frozen scallops be defrosted before searing?
Yes.
I just made these for dinner tonight and I just wanted to say.. OoooooWeeeeeee! (That’s Southern for Delicious:)
I made 12 huge scallops for my husband and I split 8/4 and my husband wanted my last of 4 after Inhaling his meal. This recipe is YUMMY and I will definitely make these again! Cooked in my cast iron skillet turning almost three mins per side then putting in my oven preheated at 400 while I made the sauce which took maybe two mins to whip up. Perfect!
I just finished making this for myself and my two children. This was very easy and delicious!!! I can’t wait till my husband come back stateside, this will probably be the first meal I make for him.
Reading the recipe literally made my mouth water! I am going to have to make it myself. I love that you put the nutrition facts on here. Very smart! I am a lover of all things seafood!
The nutrition facts do not indicate the single portion size or how many are in the package could you clarify this please? I want to try this recipe. Thank you
Chris, it’s difficult to say as 1 pound of scallops range from 10-20 so it really depends on how many scallops you use.
Can you mix in angle pasta to make a main dish.
Yes, absolutely! Sounds amazing.
I have just made this dish and it was gorgeous I added fresh jumbo King prawns poured over the sauce and garnished with samfire it looked and. Tasted really good , thanks for a great eaasy recipie…
I am a sea food lover like no other. I could eat sea food everyday! My husband thinks I have an iron deficiency since I crave sea food all the time! I need to make this recipe because it is watering my mouth!
Has anyone tried serving over pasta with Parmesan? Cooking this for girlfriend tonight and she loves seafood over pasta.
We just made this over a bed of raw spinach and noodles – no additional seasoning, although we doubled the sauce for this. SO good!