Perfectly Cooked Scallops, Every Time

5 from 6 votes

Think sea scallops. They're fancy, tasty, and incredibly easy to cook perfectly every time.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: scallops

Servings:

Calories: 177kcal

Take scallops out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. Rinse under cold water and then dry completely with a paper towel.
10 sea scallops
Mix salt and pepper with a little bit of flour, then quickly roll the scallops in this mixture...shake off the excess, you just want a light dusting.
Salt & pepper, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Heat butter and olive oil over medium-high to high in a non-stick frying pan.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Once the pan gets hot, add the scallops. You should hear a nice sizzle when they touch the pan’s surface. Make sure they’re not touching each other in the pan & don’t move them while sizzling.
Let them develop a nice, brown crust (the inside will stay tender and creamy), which should take about 1-½ to 2 minutes. Then you can turn them and cook for another minute. Do not overcook them!
Plate your scallops on a pre-heated dish, drizzle some of the pan juices over them, add a few cilantro leaves (if you have some handy; I also like chives), and add a few slivers of habanero for a little kick...it’s like adding wasabi to your sashimi.
Few cilantro leaves, Few slivers of habanero

Tip for cooking scallops: Make sure they’re not touching each other in the pan. Scallops are mostly water and we want some of that water to steam away quickly. Please don’t move them while sizzling. Let them develop a nice, brown crust (the inside will stay tender and creamy), which should take about 1-½ to 2 minutes. Then you can turn them and cook for another minute. Do not overcook them! The scallops will keep firming up after you take them out of the pan.

Serving: Plate your scallops on a pre-heated dish, drizzle some of the pan juices over them, add a few cilantro leaves (if you have some handy; I also like chives), and add a few slivers of habanero for a little kick...it’s like adding wasabi to your sashimi.

Wine pairing: To complete this wonderful and simple dish, I like to open a bottle of Vouvray, a French white wine from the Loire Valley. It has notes of citrus, but also minerals and other earthy flavors, which pairs perfectly with the nutty and buttery scallops.