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Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce is an elegant yet easy dish that is perfect for special occasions or any day of the week. The caramelized scallops and the delicious sauce is made all in one pan!
The tastiest pan-seared scallops that have a beautiful caramelized crust. It’s drizzled with a lemon caper sauce that makes each bite even more irresistible. Garlic Butter Herb Scallops or Honey Garlic Butter Scallops are other amazing scallop recipes to try!
Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce
Hi there! I’m Jessica Gavin, a Certified Culinary Scientist and cookbook author. I love to teach the science behind better cooking with my readers on JessicaGavin.com.
I’m so thrilled to now be a part of the contributor team here on The Recipe Critic, thanks Alyssa! This delicious recipe is a hit with my family when we’re craving an upscale meal made right at home.
Scallops may seem like an intimidating and fancy dish that’s reserved only for restaurants. I’m here to share my easy method for creating a beautiful crust every time right at home. There are three key steps to a achieve a golden exterior and tender texture.
After a few tasty test runs, you will nail the pan-searing technique, impressing your hungry eaters with your gourmet skills.
How Do You Make Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce?
- The first step is allowing the scallops to sit in a saltwater solution for about 10 minutes before cooking. The benefits of a brine are it delicately seasons the seafood, helps it retain moisture, and prevents the scallops from getting too tough as it’s cooking. If you’ve got a few extra minutes, it’s worthwhile to do.
- The second step is to dry the surface of the scallops as thoroughly as possible. This process allows immediate searing and color development while preventing steaming in the pan. I just dry them in between paper towel until there is no residual moisture and they become slightly sticky when touched.
- The third step is to choose the right pan and use very high heat when cooking. My go-to is a large cast iron skillet, I use it for spicy garlic shrimp and even skillet cornbread. Stainless steel will also work to get a caramel-colored surface too. The pan needs to be super hot so browning begins immediately as scallops can turn rubbery fairly quickly if overcooked. Once those scallops hit the pan, do not move them until you are ready to flip! I also use a little bit of butter to baste the scallops at the end of cooking to promote even more browning and flavor.
- To complement the buttery scallops, a luscious and bright lemon caper sauce is made right in the pan that the scallops were seared. There is a lot of wonderful flavors retained in the pan, and you want to incorporate it in the sauce. Aromatic garlic, white wine, chicken broth, lemon juice and capers are reduced until a thickened sauce is achieved. A little bit of Dijon mustard is whisked in for a hint of pungency, creating a delicate savory citrus sauce to compliment to the crusted scallops.
What is a Scallop?
Scallop is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater clams or marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops.
What do Scallops Taste Like?
They are often described as similar to crab or lobster, but more firm. Their flavor tends to be sweet and delicate, but it’s the texture that really makes them interesting and enticing. When cooked correctly, they are soft and chewy but not rubbery or tough.
Are Sea Scallops Good for You?
Scallops are 80 percent protein. They are also a good source of magnesium and potassium.
How Do I Make Seared Scallops?
Add olive oil to a skillet and turn to medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops and add to the heated pan. Sear the scallops 3-3 1/2 minutes or until the sides are golden brown.
Can You Cook Frozen Scallops?
You will want to thaw scallops, if frozen. You can thaw them several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Do not thaw scallops at room temperature. Rinse scallops and pat them dry with paper towels before cooking.
What Do You Eat with Scallops?
Many green vegetables, such as asparagus, green beans, and broccoli, accompany scallops nicely. You can also serve scallops on a bed of fresh spinach, kale, or with cooked collard greens. I recommend adding angel hair pasta or sautéed zucchini noodles to toss in the lemon caper sauce for a more filling entree.
- Garlic Parmesan Green Beans with Bacon
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Roasted Lemon Parmesan Garlic Asparagus
- Grilled Asparagus Recipe
What White Wine cooks well with Scallops?
For cooking, you will want a wine with a high acidity known in wine parlance as “crisp.” Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Sémillon, and dry sparkling wines are especially good.
Can I Leave out the White Wine?
Yes! This is just an option for those who lit the flavor and tasting of a white wine.
Looking for More Seafood Recipes? Try these!
- Fiery Shrimp Diablo
- Lemon Salmon Piccata
- Sweet and Sour Shrimp
- Awesome Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa
- Baked Tilapia and Roasted Veggies
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Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- 1 cup hot water
- 4 cups ice water
- 1 pound large scallops 1 ½ inches wide, about 14 to 16
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup white wine optional
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon capers rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- Black pepper for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- 1 teaspoon chopped chives
- 6 lemon wedges
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl combine salt and hot water, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add ice water to cool the brine. Add scallops to the brine and let stand for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with paper towels, set aside.
- Drain the scallops, rinse under cold water, and then arrange in a single layer on the paper towel-lined sheet pan. Place another paper towel on top of the scallops and gently pat scallops. Remove as much surface moisture as possible for the best browning results when cooked.
- Allow scallops to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before cooking.
- In a 12-inch saute pan or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until oil ripples and just begins to smoke.
- Sprinkle scallops lightly with salt on both sides.
- Place scallops into the hot pan without crowding. Gently press scallops with a spatula to make direct contact with the pan.
- Sear scallops without moving them, continuing to cook until bottoms are a rich golden brown, 3 to 3 ½ minutes.
- Add butter to the pan. Turn the scallops over and cook the second side. Use a spoon to baste the scallops with the butter, tilting the pan to collect the butter as needed.
- When the scallops are opaque in color and firm to the touch, about 1 to 2 minutes, turn off heat and transfer to a plate, do not discard pan.
- In the same pan used for cooking the scallops turn heat to medium. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant but not browned.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add wine. Simmer wine, stirring as needed until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Turn heat to high and add the chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice and capers to the pan. Cook until sauce is reduced by half, about ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and whisk in Dijon mustard.
- Turn heat to medium and add scallops back to pan, cook until warm, 2 minutes.
- Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish scallops with chopped dill, chives and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Notes
•Fine dine Mixing Bowls
•The Recipe Critic Apron
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Served this over spaghetti noodles and it was pretty good! Added red paper flakes for a little heat and forgot the Dijon but still turned out great! I’d make it again!
This recipe is outstanding. A light pasta , so so flavorful. I did add freshly grated parmigiana to the wine , broth at the end. I also added scallons in place of chives since I did not have them. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
Sounds amazing! Thank you for the comment and review!
Delish! The scallop sauce was so good. Wished I served the scallops over whipped potatoes to soak up some of that sauce. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Don’t know what I did wrwrong but it was very salty
We have just eaten a taste explosion!! I am relatively new to eating scallops, but this has made a memorable experience. The brining of the scallops was worthwhile. I felt like I was by the sea.
We served ours with sides of sapphire, asparagus, broad beans and baton carrots.
The only extra we added was extra large king sized prawns.
This was a memorable eating experience. Thank you
Sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed it!
This was exceptional! Used high-quality scallops (Digby, Nova Scotia) and also added bacon. A bonus when cooking with bacon is the bacon grease for the scallops. Served on top of brown rice gluten-free fusilli noodles. Will definitely be making this again… and it’s a great dish for when you have company over!
Next time I will double the sauce ingredients, as I felt there just wasn’t quite enough.
This sounds wonderful but I am not sure about the capers. I eat them but rare enough that I don’t remember the flavor. Is it subtle? Or will it overpower the sauce? Thank you!
They add a tangy, briney flavor. Kind of like green olives. I love it but it might be overpowering for some. You can omit them if you’d like!
What could I use in place of chicken broth? I’m allergic to chicken. This is a new allergy so I have learned all the substitutes yet.
You can use vegetable or beef broth instead!