Seared Scallops with Garlic Basil Butter

How to make restaurant-worthy scallops at home. These pan seared scallops with garlic basil butter take less than 10 minutes and taste incredible!

Watch the Video

Seared Scallops Recipe Video

Related: We love these garlic butter shrimp!

How to Cook Scallops Like a Pro

Scallops are one of the simplest kinds of seafood to cook. They’re just as easy as shrimp. In fact, we use the same method to prepare these garlic basil scallops as we use when making our garlic butter shrimp. There’s no need to be intimidated. Scallops are easy to prepare, promise. With a few tricks, you’ll be cooking them like a pro in no time. Let me show you how I do it:

Pan-seared scallops with lemon and basil

How to Buy Scallops

Before we can cook them, we need to buy quality scallops. Buy freshest you can find. I look for larger sea scallops since they taste sweet.

Frozen scallops work in this recipe, too. The easiest and safest way to thaw them is to place them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to cook them. For a quicker solution, you can add them to a sealed bag and put them in a large bowl under cold running water. Move the bag around the bowl every so often until the scallops have defrosted. Assume they will take half-an-hour, or so.

The Steps for Cooking Scallops

This recipe is a simple one. Once you learn the tricks to cooking perfectly browned scallops on the stove, you’ll want to do it all the time.

Step 1: Pat the scallops dry. I like to use a paper towel to pat them as dry as possible. Damp scallops won’t sear or brown in the pan. The drier they are, the better they will sear. Frozen scallops will have a bit more moisture so take extra care when patting them dry.

Step 2: Add a light dusting of flour. For an extra fail-safe, add a light dusting of flour to each side of the scallops. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust after cooking in a hot pan. If you don’t have flour or are gluten-free, you can skip this step.

Scallops with a light dusting of flour, salt and pepper
Patting dry and adding a light dusting of flour helps to get a golden brown sear.

Step 3: Season the scallops. I use a generous amount of salt and pepper. I season one side out of the pan, place them seasoned side down into the hot pan, and then while that side cooks, I season the other side.

Step 4: Cook the scallops in a hot pan. If they aren’t sizzling when you place them into the frying pan, it isn’t hot enough. Between the dry and floured scallops and a hot pan, you are guaranteed a beautiful golden brown sear.

Step 5: Finish with butter, garlic, and herbs. Scallops already taste incredible, but adding a bit of creamy butter, garlic, and fresh herbs at the end of cooking makes them restaurant worthy.

Seared scallops with butter and garlic
Adding a bit of creamy butter, garlic and fresh herbs at the end of cooking makes scallops that are restaurant worthy.

And there you have it, how to cook scallops like a professional chef. Stick with our flavors of butter, garlic, and basil or try something else. Fresh thyme, tarragon or something spicy like jalapeño is an excellent idea.

More Easy Seafood Recipes

Restaurant-worthy scallops

Seared Scallops with Garlic Basil Butter

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Seared scallops cook quickly — within 5 minutes — and are best when enjoyed straight-away. If you’re serving them with pasta, vegetables or rice, make sure they are ready before cooking the scallops. Basil adds a lovely sweetness to the butter sauce, but if it is not available, a few fresh thyme sprigs will do the trick.

Makes 4 servings, 3 large scallops each

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 oil, such as olive oil, avocado oil or grape seed oil

1 ½ tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup fresh basil leaves

3 to 4 lemon slices

Directions

    1Use a paper towel to pat the scallops dry. Dust one side of the scallops with a small amount of flour, and 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, seasoned-side-down, into the pan. Cook, without moving them until browned, about 2 minutes.

    3While the first side is browning, dust the unseasoned side of the scallops with a bit of flour and season them with salt and pepper.

    4Flip 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.

    5Add the butter and garlic to the pan, and then swirl the butter around the pan as it melts. Cook another minute or two then take the pan off of the heat. Stir in the basil leaves and lemon slices. Serve.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • Do I need to use flour: If you don’t want to use the 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 get out the flour, make sure the scallops are as dry as you can get them for the best chance at a good sear.
  • Thawing frozen scallops: The easiest and safest way to thaw them is to place them in the refrigerator the night before you plan to cook them. For a quicker solution, you can add them to a sealed bag and put them in a large bowl under cold running water. Move the bag around the bowl every so often until the scallops have defrosted. Assume they will take half-an-hour, or so. Don’t let the water get into the bag.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe (3 scallops) / Calories 267 / Total Fat 12.6g / Saturated Fat 3.7g / Cholesterol 69.5mg / Sodium 1236.8mg / Carbohydrate 9.6g / Dietary Fiber 0.2g / Total Sugars 0.2g / Protein 29.6g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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76 comments… Leave a Review
  • Kristin Etter February 20, 2024, 6:22 pm

    This recipe is fabulous!! I have it bookmarked and it is my go to special meal for my husband for special occasions (or whenever I find a great deal on scallops). The video that Joanne presented makes it look so easy and it IS!! Absolutely a must try.

    Reply
  • Valerie February 7, 2024, 6:20 pm

    I just made this recipe tonight for an early Valentine’s dinner. It came out SPECTACULARLY! Melt in your mouth, full flavors and better than restaurant quality. I followed all of the instructions – except I substituted a spoonful of pesto in place of fresh basil because I didn’t have any. The garlic, butter, basil, lemon combo accentuated the scallops perfectly! 👌 Thanks for the flour tip, I never would’ve thought of that. A great recipe when you are looking to impress!

    Reply

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