How to cook unbelievably good scallops at home. This is my favorite pan-seared scallops recipe. It takes less than 10 minutes and tastes incredible!
Scallops are one of the easiest things you can cook, especially if you sear them in a pan (they’re just as easy as shrimp).
There’s no need to be intimidated. Scallops are easy to cook, I promise. With a few tricks, you’ll be cooking them like a pro in no time. Plus, I’ll show you how to make our delicious garlic basil butter to serve with them.
Key Ingredients
- Scallops: I look for large sea scallops since they taste sweet. I also prefer fresh scallops. Frozen scallops will work in this recipe, so check the tips section below for tips on thawing them before cooking.
- Oil, salt, and pepper: I cook my scallops in a hot skillet with some oil. Any high-heat oil works. I especially love avocado oil. You’ll also want to season the scallops liberally before cooking them.
- Flour: While optional, I love dusting flour over my scallops before cooking them. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. You can skip this step if you don’t have flour or are gluten-free.
- Butter, garlic, basil, and lemon: It’s hard to describe just how delicious our garlic basil butter is with these seared scallops. I highly recommend it, and it only adds a minute or two of cooking time.
How to Cook Scallops Like a Pro
This scallops recipe is simple. Once you learn the tricks to cooking perfectly browned scallops on the stove, you’ll want to do it all the time.
To prepare scallops for cooking, pat them dry. I use a paper towel to pat them as dry as possible. Damp scallops don’t sear or brown in the pan. The drier they are, the better they will sear. Frozen scallops will have more moisture, so take extra care when patting them dry.
For an extra fail-safe, I add a light dusting of flour to each side of the scallops. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. I also use a generous amount of salt and pepper.
I season one side of the scallops out of the pan, place them seasoned side down into the hot pan, and then while that side cooks, I season the other side.
You want a hot skillet when pan-searing scallops. If they aren’t sizzling when you place them in the pan, it isn’t hot enough. You can always test the heat with one scallop and adjust from there.
If you pat the scallops dry, dust them with flour, and use a hot pan, you will guarantee a beautiful golden brown sear.
To really make these scallops restaurant-worthy, use our garlic basil butter. Scallops already taste incredible, but adding a bit of creamy butter, garlic, and fresh herbs at the end of cooking makes them out of this world. I also love the garlic butter used to make our recipe for shrimp scampi.
What to Serve with Seared Scallops
Many side dishes work well with seared scallops. I love creamy grits, polenta, mashed potatoes, and mushroom risotto. For a lighter, low-carb side, try mashed cauliflower or zucchini noodles.
For rice, take a look at our coconut rice or this cilantro lime rice. Roasted vegetables are also lovely. Think about roasted asparagus, roasted cabbage, or roasted green beans.
Perfect Seared Scallops
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Seared scallops cook quickly (within 5 minutes) and are best when enjoyed immediately. If you’re serving them with pasta, vegetables, or rice, make sure they are ready before cooking the scallops. I highly recommend the garlic basil butter!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
12 large sea scallops, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, optional, see notes
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil or vegetable oil
Garlic Basil Butter1 ½ tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 to 4 lemon slices
Directions
1Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. Dust one side of the scallops with a small amount of flour, then season with salt and pepper.
2Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan. When the oil is hot and shimmery, carefully place the scallops in the pan, seasoned side down.
3Cook, without moving them, until browned, about 2 minutes.
4While the first side is browning, dust the unseasoned side of the scallops with a bit of flour and season them with salt and pepper.
5Flip the scallops. If any stick to the pan, wait a few more seconds then try again, gently wiggling them side to side to help release them.
6Add the butter and garlic to the pan, swirling the butter around as it melts.
7Cook another minute or two, then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the basil leaves and lemon slices. Serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Cooked scallops last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do your best to store them in the coldest part of your fridge (usually towards the back). While you can technically freeze cooked scallops, you should only freeze scallops that were initially from fresh sources (not previously frozen).
- Reheating: To reheat, add them to a skillet over medium heat with a small amount of butter or olive oil. Sear for 1 to 2 minutes per side until heated through.
- Do I need to use flour? If you don’t want to use flour, it’s okay. It helps with even browning, and since some of the flour sticks to the bottom of the pan, it mixes with the butter, helping to thicken the garlic basil butter sauce. If you are gluten-free or don’t want to use flour, make sure the scallops are as dry as you can get them for the best chance at a good sear.
- Using frozen scallops: The easiest and safest way to thaw them is to place them in the refrigerator the night before cooking them. To quickly thaw scallops, add them to a sealed bag and put them in a large bowl under cold running water. Move the bag around the bowl occasionally until the scallops have defrosted, about 30 minutes. Before cooking them, take extra care when patting them dry.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Thank you both for sharing your talents. I have always loved to cook and admire those who are passionate and can share it with others.
I made these with a caesar salad as a quick dinner for the family and everyone LOVED them! The only thing I didn’t have was basil. I’ll definitely try making it with the basil next time!
Best scallops recipe
I pat them dry plus refrigerate uncovered to be certain they are fully dry. I sear with ghee in a very hot pan. After a good sear I turn the heat off and let them finish cooking. Remove scallops and deglaze with white wine.
Made this for my wife’s birthday with cilantro/lime rice and roasted broccoli.
It was fast, easy and delicious. Highly recommend! Thank you inspired taste!
For a busy agent, this recipe is golden. I had some scallop over the weekend and all the ingredients mentioned. Now it’s time to test how fast this dish can be done. Thanks for sharing!
I’m not a ‘cook’, but i follow recipes. I’ve wanted to make scallops and I was going to broil them until I found this recipe for pan searing. I followed the simple instructions and I think coating the scallops with flour really made my scallops turn out great. If I can make perfect scallops by following this recipe you can also!