Lemon Garlic Scallops

4.65 from 134 votes

Lemon Garlic Scallops

These Lemon Garlic Scallops are pan seared in butter and served in a delicious lemon garlic sauce! 10 Minutes is all you need for these tender scallops!

Prep Time2

Cook Time8

Total Time10

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon garlic scallops, scallops recipe

Servings:

Calories: 343kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

Scallops

1 ¼ pound scallops
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste

Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon butter
5 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup white wine
2 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare scallops: Remove the side muscle from the scallop the pat them dry with paper towels.
Cook Scallops: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on high heat. Gently add the scallops to the skillet, making sure they are not touching each other. Season them generously with salt and pepper then add the 2 tbsp of butter to the skillet. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on the first side then flip them over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Season the other side with salt and pepper as well. They should have a golden crust on each side when they are done. Cook in batches if they don't all fit in the skillet. Transfer the scallops to a plate.
Make sauce: In another skillet (see notes) heat the olive oil over high heat then add the butter and cook until it melts. Add the garlic and saute for 20 to 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Don't over cook it, you don't want it to burn.
Add the white wine and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the sauce for another minute then turn off the heat. Add the scallops back to the skillet, including all the juices.
Serve: Serve immediately over pasta.

Video

Notes

Please note that in the pictures that's 2 pounds of scallops, but I changed the recipe to 1 1/4 pounds since most scallops are sold in 1 to 1 1/4 pound bags.
I used a Pinot Grigio white wine for this recipe, which also make a great wine to serve with.
While I used a different skillet to make the sauce, you could certainly use the same skillet and scrape the brown bits from the bottom to make the sauce with. I basically wanted a more clear sauce, but this is totally optional.

Nutrition