Seared Scallops in Lemon Garlic Sauce
The first time that I ever tried scallops was during my first year of marriage. We were just babies (20 & 21) and we were living on our own for the first time in a completely new place. Monterey, CA. My husband decided that he wanted to try and make me a fancy dinner. He drew me a bath and got me a glass of wine and he got to cooking. My dear husband decided to make scallops for us. When he read the recipe, which called for 1 clove of garlic, he interpreted it as 1 whole HEAD of garlic! OMG. It’s a good thing we both love garlic lol. We had a good laugh and enjoyed a super garlicky but delicious meal. I love that memory.
Tips for Cooking Scallops:
- Make sure they are completely dry before seasoning. Sit them on a paper towel and dry both sides, then season with salt and pepper
- Use a cast iron skillet or good quality non-stick skillet. This will help you get that beautiful sear on the outside of the scallop
- Use an oil with a high smoke point, my favorite is Avocado Oil
- Cook over high heat but only for a short period of time. This gets a nice crust on the outside but keeps them tender in the middle. The get tough and rubbery when overcooked
How to Make the Sauce:
The sauce is very easy to make and is loaded with flavor. I first heat the ghee over medium/low heat and then add in the garlic. I let the garlic flavor the ghee for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and add in the fresh lemon juice and parsley. That’s it!
If you want to add a little more liquid, you could add a splash of chicken broth or white wine if you are not doing a Whole30.
I served these beautiful scallops over my best ever cauliflower mash and it was perfect! I loved how the lemon garlic sauce was almost like a gravy, it was decadent and delicious.
Used in this Recipe:
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Seared Scallops with Lemon Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tbls Avocado Oil or other high smoke point cooking oil
- 8 Scallops
- 1 Tbls Ghee
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Lemon juiced
- 2 Tbls Parsley chopped
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Make sure the scallops are completely dry, I use paper towels. Then season with salt and pepper
- Heat the avocado oil in a cast iron skillet over medium/high heat. Let it get really hot and then add in the scallops. Let cook for 3 minutes on one side and then turn over and cook another minute. Remove from the pan
- In a small skillet (or the same one if you prefer) melt the ghee over medium/low heat. Add in the garlic and let cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrent. Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice and parsley
- Serve the scallops with the sauce drizzled over top
These scallops turned out AMAZING! I’d never cooked scallops before and this was a quick and easy way to make a romantic surf and turf!
Woo hoo, so happy to hear this! I love scallops, I am so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
These definitely are good – not sure about romance with all that garlic, though.
I got some scallops on sale this week and was looking for a new way to prepare them, this was such a great new idea! Thanks!
I am so glad to hear that! Scallops are such a delicious treat 🙂
It’s been too long since I’ve had scallops! This recipe looks great.
Thanks Chelsea! Scallops are the best, but I hadn’t made them in forever too! It is worth it 🙂