Lemon Butter Scallops
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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.
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Simple, easy and delicious
Great for quick recipes and ideas for cooking that recipe!
Mommy, mmmmmm good. I added shrimp to this dish and a little white wine. What an easy and delicious dish. This one is a keeper!
I’ve made this many times and it never disappoints. Have some rice ready in the rice cooker, your asparagus broiling for alongside, and you’ll be in heaven.
This is exactly the fresh, simple and delicious recipe I was looking for. You never disappoint. Thank you!
Easy and delicious.
We loved this simple recipe so much that everyone decided it must be doubled for next time. You were right about having the side dishes ready to go — it was amazingly fast.
This was easy to fix and very delicious!!!
Best EVER!!! Served over a bed of wilted baby spinach and it was perfect—better than any restaurant!
I liked the spinach suggestion great idea!
This is the best sauce ever, it just enhances the flavor of the scallops, definitely a keeper.
AMAZING! THank you
Fun to make
Awesome recipe, straight forward, quick and delicious!!
Just fantastic! Have made this many times in the past. Tried this recipe and it was tried and true Served it over pasta with some marinara sauce. Would also be great with some capers. Recipe very easy to follow and please don’t overcook the scallops. They are perfect 1-2 minutes each side.
I actually followed the recipe quite closely and my scallops were perfect. I did not have any fresh garlic on hand because my husband is allergic to it, so I don’t keep it in the house. I did, however have a wonderful spice combination called ” 21 Salute ” from Trader Joe’s that had some garlic in the ingredients and it also seemed to enhance the browning aspect of the cooking. The scallops tasted better than many restaurants I have ordered them in, and looked beautiful too. I used sea scallops and admittedly had to force myself to follow the correct cooking time in the recipe, as I am notorious for overcooking my sea food. NOT this time! I will make these again. Thank you!
If your husband is really allergic to garlic then even Trader Joe’s “A little garlic” would still cause an allergic reaction. Maybe he cannot tolerate garlic, but he is not allergic to it.
What an easy, amazing recipe! Thanks!
Does it matter if you use sea scallops or bay scallops?
I love sea scallops. They are much more flavorful.
Not crazy as about bay scallops. They are not the same quality or flavor as the the sea scallops.
This is my opinion.
Sea scallops are larger than bay scallops and tend to be slightly chewier. They are both delicious!
If you soak washed scallops in milk for a while, it tenderizes them; then pat dry before cooking
Well mine didn’t really brown. Not sure what went wrong didn’t crowd the pan. Still tender sweet delicious. Served with a baked potato sour cream and chives, steamed broccoli and garlic bread. I’ll try them again for sure.
We’re they frozen scallops? They are more difficult to get a sear on. You have to dry them well after thawing. I let them sit on paper towels in the fridge to dry.
Before I cook my recently purchased scallops I have a kinda dumb question…..how much lemon juice in a regular sized lemon? Approx how many t or T please…..all this in case I don’t squeeze hard enuf!!! No juicer, just my hands!! Thnx…..mary
Roll the lemon on the counter a few times, cut in half, put in the microwave for about 10 seconds or so. You can squeeze and get a good amount of juice from them.
Good luck
Finished off with garlic butter sauce in the pan it was excellent !!!