Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Nutty, earthy, sweet, tart, and fresh. All around savory goodness.
Texture: This is the best part of seared scallops! They’re crisp and crusty at the edges and fall-apart tender in the center. I loooove scallops.
Ease: Surprisingly easy but impressively gourmet and tasty.
Appearance: Just b-e-a-u-tiful.
Pros: Quick, easy, amazingly scrumptious.
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Yes.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I’ll never ever understand people who say they dislike chocolate or who say they dislike seafood. Those are some of my all time favorite foods (not together though… eww). I love fish and shellfish but one of my favorite spoils of the sea is definitely sea scallops. They’re pretty much perfect in my book. Quick to cook and when done right they are slightly sweet, super tender, with a golden brown mouthwatering crust. The only problem is that they can be pretty pricey. To my sheer joy, giant sea scallops were on sale at my grocery store last week so I just had to make this recipe. This recipe is pretty foolproof too so you won’t have to worry much about ruining your expensive scallops.
If you’ve never browned butter before, you’re in for a treat! It’s an easy way to pack in SO much flavor, both in sweet and savory recipes. Learn all my tips and tricks for browning butter in my How to Brown Butter article here.
Seared Scallops with Browned Butter Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
For the scallops:
- 1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, tendons removed and patted very dry
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, swirling constantly, until the butter turns a dark golden brown color and has a nutty aroma, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Add the shallot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the parsley, thyme, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the saucepan with a lid to keep warm.
For the scallops:
- Sprinkle the dry scallops with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of the scallops in a single layer, flat side down, and cook, without moving, until well browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet. Using tongs, carefully flip the scallops and continue to cook until the sides of the scallops are firm and the centers are opaque, 30 to 90 seconds. Remove the scallops to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Wipe out the skillet and repeat cooking with the remaining oil, scallops, and butter. Serve immediately with browned butter sauce.
I had some leftover raw sea scallops on Christmas Eve (today), just as guests were arriving, and wanted to do something with them so I found this recipe…went out to the yard and clipped some fresh lemon thyme, parsley, and came back in and made this for a quick appetizer I didn’t have a shallot, so I just used a quarter of an onion chopped fine – it got RAVE reviews from everyone crowded around the plate!! Thank you!!!
I made this with a few adjustments (as usual) I used a Maggie fish seasonings with garlic n onion powder n black pepper which I also added to the scallops n set aside, then I thinly sliced garlic, fresh parsley n about 3 scallions/green onions. I seared the scallops n butter only n removed them n then I sauteed the prior seasonings n a herbed butter with a little reg land o lakes butter then added1/3 of a fresh lemon’s juice n then put the seared scallops n this sauce n served over linguine…it was absolutely delish!! 🙂 u must try!! 🙂
I found some scallops on sale and was looking for a simple sauce. This is it! Thank you!