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!
Wow, so yummy! Quick, easy, delicious. We had it with pasta. What a meal. We’ll definitely make it again!
Wow, that was really yummy! And so easy to make! We had it with spaghetti. Quick, easy, delicious. We’ll make it again.
Thanks very helpful
I made this recipe exactly as written and it is amazing. I am making it again tonight. I serve it with basmati rice and a vegetable. Thanks for a great recipe!
I didn’t make your recipe, but I’m sure it’s awesome! Just wanted to say that Aldi’s (if there is a store near you) has frozen scallops that are reasonably priced. Love scallops and I’m having them for dinner tonight – I don’t have a lemon here, and don’t feel like going to the store, so will try the recipe next time. For tonight, pan seared with a little oil and butter. YUM! And BTW, the frozen scallops are just as good as fresh, as they are flash-frozen.
Damn Delicious tasting scallops. Would make again.
Good but I thought that the amount of lemon overwhelmed the scallops a little bit. Personally I would’ve been happier with half the amount.
This was my first attempt at scallops and it went fairly well. The recipe recommended to cook them on each side until golden brown, which took longer than 1-2 mins. I did 3 on each side, and i got feed back that they could have been seared a little more. The sauce was easy and got good reviews from my friends.
Make sure your scallops are dry and you will get a good sear.
So simple and delicious!
Made this for New Years, and the lemony butter sauce, which spread around the plate, also tasted great on the roasted broccoli and pine nut couscous. Fast, easy, delicious. A winner!
Very tasty and easy. Wife says it was too lemony for her, but I really liked it and how easy it was to prepare. Thanks
Very good and easy to make.i made bake sweet potatoes and asparagus with it.
This was so good! My husband can’t eat scallops but everyone else loves them so I can’t make them the main dish. This made an excellent appetizer for the scallop lovers while he sat in the corner eating a crust of bread and thimble of water. No! I also sizzled up some shrimp just for him , but the scallops were divine!
love scallops and this my way of cooking them!
Haven’t had Lemon Butter Scallops since ’89. A regional chain restaurant/bistro, Inn Flight, offered these and my wife and I stopped in to watch The Kentucky Derby in ’83. This became a bit of a tradition which ran for six years. We missed a year and the spell was broken and I haven’t had scallops prepared as this in thirty years. Several of these Inn Flights had a pianist playing in the style of Bobby Short; everything worked in-concert to accent the food. I’m recalling this through the haze of nostalgia so there is that but those scallops were something really wonderful, spitting and sizzling as they were brought to the table directly from the broiler.
THE BEST …
FRIENDS AFTER WORK DAY DINNER !!
This recipe is perfect for scallops. We loved it and we loved that fact that the scallops weren’t smothered in butter. Thanks for posting.
So pleased that I can easily make a delicious scallop dish at home! My 14 yr old daughter enjoyed too!! Thank you!!!
Yum! I added lemon zest to the Lemon Butter. Nice!
That’s a fine idea, thank you.
These were so quick, easy and delicious! The only thing I added was about 1 Tabs 0f rinsed capers!
Will definitely be making these again! Thanks for the recipe.