The Perfect Seared Scallops

Let’s be honest here…who doesn’t love perfect seared scallops?

Lately, I’ve been on a high protein kick and experimenting in the kitchen with lots of different sources. For whatever reason, I’ve always been scared to cook scallops, but when I found out there was 17g of protein in each one, I knew I had to get over this fear and learn.

Over the last month I’ve been trying out all different cooking methods so that I can get that delicious crust on the outside (while still keeping it soft and creamy on the inside). Last night, I officially nailed it and I’m so excited to share this process with you so that you can enjoy incredible scallops at home!

Print Recipe

The Perfect Seared Scallops

Enjoy these incredible scallops at the comfort of your own home!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time3 mins

Total Time8 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Scallops, Seafood, Seared Scallops

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Scallops your choice on kind. I chose jumbo sea scallops because they were on sale
• 1/2 tbsp Butter for every 4 jumbo scallops
• 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil for every 4 jumbo scallops
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

• There is a fibrous muscle on the side of the scallop that needs to be removed. It’s really easy to spot and you just pull it right off. Part of the reason I never cooked scallops was because I was worried about this step. I was totally freaked out about it for some reason. Trust me, after doing it once, I feel like an idiot because it’s that easy. It peels off like a sticker.
• Rinse the scallop in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. I let mine sit for a few minutes and then pat them again. You want them to be totally dry.
  
• Generously top scallops with salt and pepper on both sides.
  
• In a pan, heat up the butter and oil over high heat. Once you see a little smoke, your oil/butter is ready. This happens fast so watch it! The second you see smoke, you need to get them in the pan.
  
• Using tongs, arrange the scallops in the pan and once you place them down, DO NOT TOUCH THEM! This is how you get your perfect seared scallops. After a minute and a half, take your tongs and flip them (in the same order you put them down). Again, don’t touch them.
• Wait another minute and a half and remove from pan with tongs.
  

Since scallops are best served right out of the pan (and the whole process shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes), you should wait till you are just about to serve before you start cooking these.

So…who is making perfect seared scallops tonight?

Love always,
Erica