Lemon Butter Scallops
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These lemon butter scallops are so easy to make yet so fancy! Requires only 5 ingredients and 10 minutes for restaurant-quality scallops!
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Why you’ll love lemon butter scallops
- Fool-proof recipe. Cooking scallops may be daunting and intimidating, but this recipe is completely fool-proof with just a few tips and tricks (ex. keep the cook time short and make sure the pan is extra hot – more on that below!).
- Short ingredient list. It really doesn’t take much to cook restaurant-quality scallops right at home with an irresistible lemon butter sauce. All you need is 5 ingredients, 10 minutes, and a single heavy cast iron skillet.
- Easy yet so impressive No reservations required here. These scallops are perfect for a date night in or to impress weekend company, costing just a fraction of the price when ordering out.
Types of scallops
Bay scallops
Bay scallops are bite-sized, about 1/2-inch in diameter, sweeter and more tender.
Sea scallops
Sea scallops are about 2 inches in diameter, saltier, thicker and chewier.
Dry scallops
Dry scallops are not treated with preservatives, therefore their shelf life is much shorter, although much fresher than wet scallops. They have a slightly tan, vanilla color, almost even grey and sometimes pink appearance.
Wet scallops
Wet scallops are treated with water and preservatives, and have a higher water content. They are generally more expensive due to the added weight. Wet scallops will often times look pure snow-white.
How to make lemon butter scallops
- Prep the scallops. Remove the side muscle on the side of each scallop, rinse with cold water, and pat completely dry using paper towels.
- Prep the skillet. Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Season. Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper.
- Sear. Melt the butter, then add the scallops to the hot skillet in a single layer without overcrowding the pan. Let the scallops cook, undisturbed, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Flip. Flip the scallops and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until firm and opaque; set aside.
- Make the lemon butter sauce. Melt the additional butter in the same skillet, then sauté the garlic until fragrant. Finally, stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Serve. Serve the scallops immediately, spooning the lemon butter sauce on top and garnishing with parsley.
what to serve with lemon butter scallops
Tools For This Recipe
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.
Yes! You can thaw frozen scallops overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under lukewarm water until completely thawed. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture.
When pan searing, scallops will cook through fairly quickly, about 2-3 minutes per side. Scallops are done when they are opaque and firm around the edges.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day, reheating in a low oven at 200°F, covered in foil, until warmed through.
Lemon Butter Scallops
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound sea 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 2 minutes per side. Set aside and keep warm.
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.
- Serve scallops immediately with lemon butter sauce, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet retains heat exceptionally well, allowing for a deep, golden brown crust on the scallops before the insides become overcooked.
- Prep the scallops. Although safe to eat, gently peel away the small side muscle from the scallops as it is tougher and chewier than the rest of the scallops. Rinse and pat dry to remove as much excess moisture as possible.
- Use dry scallops. Dry scallops are generally preferred over wet scallops as the latter is treated with preservatives, retaining excess water, and will not caramelize properly with a golden brown, crusty sear.
- Cook in batches. Overcrowding the pan will lead to poor searing and chewy, rubbery scallops.
- Serve as an appetizer or main course. Plan for 1-2 scallops per person when serving as an appetizer, and 3-5 scallops per person when serving as a primary protein, pairing with risotto or vegetables.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover scallops can be rubbery when reheated in the microwave. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 200°F, covered in aluminum foil, until warmed through.
Did you make this recipe?
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This was a hit! The only thing I did differently was deglaze the pan with white wine and brown the butter. Will continue to use this easy and delicious recipe. Thank you!
Fantabulous!! Amazingly easy and tasty recipe. Bought more scallops next shopping trip for a repeat meal.
Most incredible scallop recipe I’ve had! Made it twice so far, both times came out great.
For Margret (6/3/18)… Ha, unfortunately kids in school hear, and use, much worse than “damn” on a regular basis these days, unless of course its a religious school, then listen to what is being said between classes!!! So, it”s not necessary to change your name from “Damm Delicious.” Remember, life is like a beaver colony…it’s one “dam” thing after another,” and usually happens when cooking. I’m 72 years young, and love to cook and eat (can be a bad combination LOL), so am always looking for something new to do in the kitchen. I love your website, and so does my husband. This recipe is so easy-peasy, and truly most “damn delicious,” that it is now “credited” in my own recipe book with that of my Mother’s and Grandmother’s recipes. Thank you, because I love scallops…used to only get them in a restaurant, and now I’m not afraid to cook them at home. 🙂
Oops, forgot to give this recipe 5 Stars, but I give it 10 🙂
Have made this recipe several times and it’s outstanding. Only change I made was using salted butter. Use a cast iron skillet if available. Quick easy and delicious!
Amazing recipe, very easy and delicious. I have try others scallops recipes before but this one tops everyone
Thank you for this very easy and delicious recipe! We loved it!
I made this and I’m a kid.So simple,elegant,and delicious:)
Lemon Butter Scallops – fast, easy, and delicious! These were better than any other I have tried at home.
Perfect cook on the scallops on medium heat, I would use less lemon next time.
This was excellent but cooks should know to turn down the heat on the skillet after searing the scallops. The sauce should be made on a low heat–otherwise the garlic burns and becomes really bitter.
Best Scallops I ever had!!!
Soooooo good!! Didn’t have lemon or parsley. Used lime instead of lemon and no parsley. Still absolutely delicious!
Quite tasty! I only tweaked your recipe slighly, by adding about a half a cup of dry white wine to make a little more sauce. But this got rave reviews!
Easy, yummy recipe. Don’t forget to dry the scallops with a paper towel before they hit the skillet.
The style of explaining the recipe is kind of amazing.
Love it – once a month – great
I’ve made this twice now and my wife loves them. Great and simple recipe. I made this with creamed spinach for the side. Love it
I made this and we loved it! Will make it again. Great instructions and thanks for the tip about remembering it only took about 10 minutes! I prepared basmati rice and broccoli with cheese sauce first. Delightful meal thanks!
WOW- this is truly, damn delicious. I am not a cook and seafood intimidates me but I can honestly say this was absolutely delicious. My scallops were frozen/thawed, so I spent 3 minutes on each side. I paired it with linguini and spiraled zucchini and it was very good!