Creamy Garlic Butter Scallops with Prosciutto – This is the best way to enjoy fresh and succulent scallops; coated in a creamy white wine sauce with prosciutto, lots of garlic and butter.
There’s just something so romantic about a beautiful scallop dinner, don’t you all agree? When it’s prepared perfectly this dinner is an absolute show stopper guaranteed. If you’re looking for a quick and delicious dinner to impress a special someone, this dish is for you!
Scallops are really great because you don’t need a lot of ingredients to make them delicious, they simply are on their own. I did want a somewhat rich sauce here, however, so I used butter and garlic, some white wine and heavy cream, turning this into a luscious rich sauce.
Scallops
Scallops are great because they’re super quick to cook. In 10 minutes you have yourself a fancy dinner of tender and succulent scallops. They are not inexpensive, at about $20 a pound you want to make sure you cook them just right, so make sure to read the tips below.
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Olive oil – We want a nice neutral tasting oil to saute our scallops in.
- Butter – We’re going to use both butter and olive oil to give us that brown butter flavor without any burnt butter bitterness.
- Scallops – I used 10 large scallops today.
- Prosciutto – Roughly chopped to be crisped up.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Liquids – We’re using both white wine and heavy cream for our beautiful dreamy sauce.
- Herbs – Chopped fresh green onion and parsley
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
Prepping Your Scallops
If your scallops have a side-muscle (a little rectangular tag of tissue on the side of the scallop), pinch it with your fingers and tear it away. Don’t worry if you can’t find it, mine came with the side-muscle already removed.
How To Make Garlic Butter Scallops
- Prep the scallops: Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
- Brown the scallops: In a medium size skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the scallops to the skillet in a single layer and sear them on each side for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until it gets slightly golden. Remove the scallops from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
- Crisp up the prosciutto: In the same skillet add the chopped prosciutto and fry for about 3 to 5 minutes until nice and crispy. Add the butter and the garlic to the skillet and cook until the butter melts and the garlic becomes aromatic.
- Finish the dish: Stir in the heavy cream, white wine and season with salt and pepper if necessary. The prosciutto could be a bit salty so there may not be a need for additional salt. Cook for about 2 minutes then add the scallops back to the skillet.
- Garnish: with fresh parsley and chopped green onion and serve immediately.
Not A Scallop Fan?
Well that’s no problem! Feel free to substitute in some shrimp instead if you’re not into cooking with scallops or if you can’t find any. This sauce tastes equally delicious with some perfectly cooked shrimp.
How To Make This Dish Without Wine
You can substitute some chicken or veggie stock if you don’t want to use wine. Be sure to choose a low sodium stock as we want to control the sodium content of this dish.
How To Serve
You can serve these over cooked rice or pasta, or how I love to eat this is with some fresh crusty bread that I can use to dip into that sauce and soak up all those incredible flavors. That’s all there is to this recipe, simple but a truly scrumptious meal.
Tips For Cooking Scallops
- Scallops sometimes have a side muscle that needs to be removed. It’s a little tag of muscle tissue on the side of the scallop which will feel a bit tough. Just pull it away. If you don’t remove this muscle, no worries, it’s safe to eat, just a little tough to chew.
- Always pat your scallops dry with a paper towel and once you add them to the pan to sear them. Make sure you season them generously with salt and pepper.
- Make sure you serve your scallops immediately, so if you’re serving them over rice or pasta, make sure it’s already cooked and ready to go.
Leftovers
Scallops are best served right away after they’re cooked. However, if you have some leftover scallops, store them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezing
I don’t really recommend freezing scallops after they’ve been cooked, the texture just won’t be the same. If you’re going to sear them, eat them right away. However, if you really needed to freeze them, store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
Other Seafood Recipes To Try:
- Creamy Garlic Butter Scallops with Prosciutto
- Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon
- Spicy New Orleans Shrimp
- Baked Lemon Garlic Halibut
- Firecracker Baked Salmon
- Shrimp Scampi
- Bruschetta Salmon
- Tomato Shrimp Pasta
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Creamy Garlic Butter Scallops with Prosciutto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz scallops about 10 large scallops
- 3 oz prosciutto roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 green onion chopped
Instructions
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
- In a medium size skillet heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the scallops to the skillet in a single layer and sear them on each side for about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until it gets slightly golden. Remove the scallops from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet add the chopped prosciutto and fry for about 3 to 5 minutes until nice and crispy. Add the butter and the garlic to the skillet and cook until the butter melts and the garlic becomes aromatic.
- Stir in the heavy cream, white wine and season with salt and pepper if necessary. The prosciutto could be a bit salty so there may not be a need for additional salt. Cook for about 2 minutes then add the scallops back to the skillet.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and chopped green onion and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute some chicken or veggie stock if you don’t want to use wine.
- This recipe can also be used for shrimp
- If your scallops have a side-muscle (a little rectangular tag of tissue on the side of the scallop), pinch it with your fingers and tear it away. Don’t worry if you can’t find it, mine came with the side-muscle already removed.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Just delicious and soooo easy to make !! It’s now going to be a regular.
i will make this again and make fewer mistakes next time. I used scallops I had to thaw, and although I poured off the liquid more than once, there was still too much moisture for the scallops to brown/sear. Also, I decided to serve this over angel hair pasta, and I made the mistake of rinsing the pasta, which meant that the sauce didn’t stick very well – although I think it would have been fine if I had plated the food on an actual plate, and not on a broad, shallow soup bowl
I am planning on making this tonight, but I picked up a thick slice of prosciutto at the market thinking that is what I needed to “chop”
In your photo i see that it looks thin. Will mine work ok?
I guess it will look like diced prosciutto
We bought thin sliced prosciutto and chopped it up. With that big piece, I would first cut it into 1/4″ thin slices and then chop them up like we did in the photos here. Enjoy!
I want to make this for a special diner for four. Love the idea of crusty bread…can you suggest a vegetable side dish?
For a special dinner try out these balsamic parmesan roasted asparagus and tomatoes, Italian roasted veggies, bruschetta, garlic butter mushrooms, or these roasted carrots!
Thank you. Great suggestions. My only concern is the cost of the scallops for four.😀
What about wine ideas? I am not an expert on that at all.
Yes that would be pricey but so worth it. A dry wine like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauv Blanc are all great options.
I made this recipe with scallops and shrimp and it was AMAZING!!! By far, the best seafood dish we have ever eaten!
Hello Jo,
For feeding two people do you this this is enough or should recipe be doubled? If doubled can i make it in one batch or do i need to make it two different times? Looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try!
I definitely think this is enough for two people but I guess it depends how hungry you are. If you’re doubling it, you can just do it in one big skillet at once.
I believe this is the best seafood recipe I have ever tried! They were wonderful! I would not change a thing except to double the recipe next time.
A favorite site when I am looking for recipes, all I have tried were spot on.
Thank you so much Linda for trying out recipes and posting your comments. Great to have you as part of the Jo Cooks Community
Hi Jo,
Glad to see this recipe because I love scallops. Do you have trouble finding “dry” scallops in your area? I see that yours were frozen, but were they free of added liquid solutions that kill the delicious taste and texture of scallops? Sadly, that seems to be the only kind available at the markets in my community.
Thanks!
You are right, mine were frozen and were dry. I find mine at my local Co-op grocery store, they have a nice seafood selection there, either frozen or fresh.
My dad loves scallops. I am going to save this recipe and hand it I’ve to my mom so she can treat my dad to it for Father’s day. Yum!
Awesome! I’m sure he’d love it, especially if he likes prosciutto. 🙂
Do you always use fresh scallops or do frozen ones have the same taste?
You know, mine were actually frozen and honestly there was no fishy taste or anything, they were really great.
Looking so yummy! Love Scallops. Thanks for sharing. 😉 xx
I love scallops but the last time I cooked it, it was really fishy and was a turnoff. These look so great though, I might have to give it another try!
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 🙂