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
How can it be dairy free when Ghee is made from butter?
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 🙂