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- When I want to make an extra-special dinner at home, I often find myself making these pan-seared scallops. There's just something about them that feels a little indulgent, but the recipe itself is so simple and way easier than most people think. Just a quick pan sear gives 'em that beautiful golden edge, and a simple lemon garlic butter sauce takes them to the next level, which, be forewarned, will likely have you going back for a couple more. I also love that this recipe is done in less than 30 minutes and it presents so beautifully, which makes it perfect for a date night or Valentine's Day or a romantic Christmas dinner when you want someone to feel a little extra love.
So, let me show you how to make it. To get started, you'll need 1/2 pounds of sea scallops, and if you see the rectangular side muscle or what's sometimes called the foot still attached to the side, you can go ahead and remove that by peeling it off. It's just a little chewy, and not as tender as the rest of the scallop. Once that's done, pat them dry with a paper towel to remove any moisture, then sprinkle them with a little kosher salt. Now, this recipe does move very quickly on the stove, so I do recommend that you have all of the ingredients for your sauce prepped and ready to go. And we'll get to all of those ingredients here in a second, but first, we need to sear the scallops.
So, heat two tablespoons of a high-heat oil, like avocado oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is really hot and shimmering, place your scallops in the pan and sear them for approximately 1/2 to two minutes on each side. You can press down on them a little so they've got good contact with the pan, but don't try to flip them too early or they might stick. They actually release really easily from the pan after that minute and a half or so once they've gotten that golden crust.
Remove your first batch of seared scallops to a plate and then repeat this process with the remaining scallops. It's always best to do this in batches rather than crowd your pan in one go, as that can actually reduce the temperature of your pan, and then you're less likely to get that perfectly golden crust. (bright gentle music) To make the lemon-garlic butter sauce, add three tablespoons of butter, one lemon that you've zested and juiced, one tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley and four minced garlic cloves to the pan.
Whisk the sauce together until it's lightly simmering, then add the scallops back to the pan to warm them up and spoon the sauce on top. Just make sure to not leave them in the pan for any time longer than necessary because scallops are best slightly undercooked rather than overcooked for the most tender texture. And even though they are small, like most meats and fish, they will continue to cook after you've removed them from the pan. I really love not only eating scallops, but also serving them, as it's such a quick and easy dinner that always impresses.
I also like to grate just a little extra lemon zest and chop a little extra parsley for a brighter pop of yellow and green before serving. It just really makes them look so elegant, and I guarantee you that whoever is lucky enough to be on the receiving end of these scallops will thank you again and again for all their five-star deliciousness. And I'm gonna dig in here myself with a bite and try to grab as much of that sauce as possible. I seriously love scallops, and if you've been following my stories for any amount of time, you probably know that every time I go out to a really nice restaurant, I always order scallops,
but they are equally delicious or more delicious at home, and they are easier on the budget. So good. That lemony garlic-butter flavor is just absolute perfection. Many of you may remember that I have another scallops recipe on my website because I do love them so much. It's actually a really old recipe, one of probably the original recipes on my website, and it's one of my mom's personal favorites, so I usually make it for her birthday, and that is a citrus ginger scallops recipe. So, there's a lot of different flavors that you can do with scallops, but I typically go for like a lemon or an orange with either the parsley or the ginger.
You can always have fun with it, but this is like the go-to recipe, so when you don't know what flavor to add and you wanna please all of your guests, this is the one to go for. And my biggest tips on scallops again, are have a very hot pan because you wanna get that gorgeous sear very quickly, and then make sure all of your ingredients are prepped ahead of time, because as you saw, all you need is about three minutes in the pan, 'cause they're about a minute and a half each side, and you do not wanna overcook them. Scallops are best slightly undercooked and nice and tender on the inside. I hope you guys enjoy today's recipe for pan-seared scallops.
I am, of course, going to finish off this plate for lunch today. And with that, I will see you guys in the next video. (bright gentle music)
