Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops

Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops is a quick and easy but elegant recipe. The first time I ate fresh scallops was in a restaurant. Over the years, I have tried many Mediterranean recipes in many forms, such as starters, soups, and risottos. The clean, sweet, and tasting seafood delicacy has become one of my favourite kinds of seafood. The sea scallops contain protein and are rich in Omega fatty acids, and relatively low in calories.

During my childhood, I only ate the dried scallops (a.k.a conpoy, an expansive ingredient in Chinese cuisine. Conpoys are simply the adductor muscles of fresh Scallops briefly cooked and then dried.) because it was a typical ingredient in Shanghainese cuisine. Since the German supermarkets offer fresh scallops and frozen scallops, I have learned how to cook the fresh scallops.

The scallops can be prepared in many ways, such as searing, grilling, sautéing, stir-frying, and baking. In my opinion, the easiest and tastiest way to cook the scallops is a pan-searing method.  

What are the main ingredients?

Sea scallops

I buy sea scallops from reputable fishmonger or supermarkets that sell fresh or frozen scallops. Fresh scallops should smell clean and sweet and like the ocean. And their muscle fibers should be in one piece. 

Other ingredients

Butter, lemon, and garlic are the sauce ingredients. Scallops are very lean so cooking them requires some fat such as butter. The butter helps cook quickly, keeping scallops moist and tender. Garlic increase the herbal aroma, and the lemon juice adds freshness to the dish.

How to make Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops

First, make sure to dry both sides of the scallops completely. Place them on the kitchen paper for a while. Then, marinate the scallops in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper for 5 minutes per side. Keep the marinade to add to the sauce later. 

Melt the butter along in a large preheated saute pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops to the pan but do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed. Sear both sides of the scallops. Scallops are lean protein and can get hardened very quickly upon cooking. Therefore, do not overcook the scallops, only over high heat for a short period. I usually cook 90 seconds to two minutes per side. Remove the scallops and place them on the plates. The scallops should still be moist, juicy, and plump.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic to the saute pan. When the garlic aroma comes out, add the marinade to the pan and saute for only 30 seconds. Do not brown the garlic. I also scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Drizzle the sauce over the scallops. I add some chopped shallots on the top and serve right away. The lemon garlic butter scallops do not taste good when they are cold. They tend to lose the sweet aroma.

Tips for Cooking Scallops:

• Use a good quality non-stick skillet to get that beautiful sear on the outside of the scallops.
• If you purchase frozen scallops, thaw them in the bag in the refrigerator overnight. If you have to thaw your scallops quickly, do not use the microwave. Preferably, run the frozen scallops, still in the bag, under a stream of cold water in the sink until thawed.

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