Bacon Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce - this dish tastes just like bacon-wrapped scallops but is much easier to make! It takes only 30 minutes from start to finish!
These seared scallops with bacon in lemon butter sauce are easy-to-make, they taste delicious, and look like something you would get at the high-end restaurant! It's a great recipe to make as an appetizer or you can pair the bacon scallops with pasta or rice to serve them as the main course! The buttery sauce with lemon and bacon is super yummy - you'll enjoy every bit of it! This recipe is gluten-free and low-carb.
Keep in mind, that what you see in the photo above is 1 pound worth of scallops. After they are cooked, it's only enough to be served as a small portion. Scallops cook down a lot. Below I have some recommendations about what to serve with bacon scallops.
Serve Bacon Scallops as the main course
Serve seared scallops over pasta or rice to make a complete meal. Here are some suggestions:
- Use angel hair pasta. This type of pasta is fine enough to go with the lemon butter sauce without overwhelming the bacon scallops. You can add olive oil and roasted garlic to pasta for extra flavor.
- Prepare orzo and serve the scallops and the sauce over the cooked orzo.
- Cooked jasmine rice or flavored rice are also great options.
Side Dishes
Because these pan-seared scallops have bacon and lemon butter sauce, the best side dishes would be green vegetables, such as sautéed spinach, roasted asparagus, or mashed potatoes. You can also serve scallops with Asiago Bacon and Garlic Roasted Asparagus or Garlic and Bacon Green Beans.
How to thaw frozen scallops
If using frozen scallops, it's imperative to thaw them completely. Thaw the scallops overnight in the refrigerator. Do not thaw the scallops by leaving them on the counter.
How to cook perfect scallops on the stovetop
- First of all, bring thawed scallops to room temperature before cooking. That means to let them sit on a plate on the countertop for about 30 minutes (not longer) before cooking.
- After the scallops reach room temperature, blot each scallop with paper towels to remove extra water.
- Sprinkle each scallop with a dash of salt.
- Use a large, non-stick skillet (I used stainless steel skillet which works well for me as non-stick).
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in this skillet on high heat until hot but not smoking. Oil should be rolling easily around the skillet when you move it around, and it should not smoke.
- Immediately, add scallops without overcrowding the pan. Sear on one side for about 3-4 minutes until the bottom of the scallops is a nice golden color. Don't move the scallops around the pan in the beginning. Flip the scallops over to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Remove the skillet from heat and transfer the scallops to the plate immediately. Important note: Don't let the scallops sit in the hot skillet, off heat, because they will start to steam, lose their crust and harden up.
Key Tip for making perfect seared scallops
The key to making perfect pan-seared scallops is to cook them really fast on a really hot skillet. After you've cooked the scallops, you should immediately remove them from the skillet. This ensures that the scallops retain their nice golden crust and are not overcooked.
Other delicious recipes with scallops
- Seared Scallop with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce - in this recipe, scallops are seared in a skillet to a nice golden crust and then coated with a creamy sauce made with garlic, lemon juice, and capers.
- Scallops with Creamy Mozzarella Pasta - this is a great recipe that combines scallops with pasta! Scallops are served with penne pasta and creamy sauce made with Mozzarella cheese, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes.
Bacon Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 strips bacon , uncooked, chopped
- 1 lb scallops
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons wine or use lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons butter , softened but not melted
- 2 tablespoons parsley , fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Cook chopped bacon in a skillet until cooked.
- Dry scallops with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the large skillet until very hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and immediately add scallops. Sear on high heat, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet.
- Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice (and maybe 2 more tablespoons white wine). Scrape the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat, add softened butter (but not melted) - to create a creamy sauce. Add chopped bacon. Add back seared scallops. Top with chopped parsley
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was the easiest and most delicious scallop recipe. You got to try it. My husband said it was a "make again"
Hi Martha! I’m thrilled to hear you and your husband loved the scallops—and that it’s officially a “make again” recipe. That really means a lot! 🙂
Would this recipe work with raw shrimp?
Hi Cynthia! Yes, it would. Depending on the size of the shrimp you use (which can range from small to jumbo) you might have to increase the cooking times.
Cynthia I added shrimp to the recipe...great
So glad you tried this with shrimp and it worked well, Martha! 🙂
The sauce was a bit too lemony so I made the second batch with more white wine and less lemon. I used spaghetti as I was out of angel hair and it worked great. The scallops were delicious but do adjust the time depending on the size of your scallops. I really liked that this was a pretty quick and very easy recipe.
HI Julianne! Love hearing how you made it your own! 🙂 Great call on adjusting the lemon and wine to your taste—and yes, scallop size definitely makes a difference with cook time. 🙂
Do I cook the scallops in the same pan as the bacon? If so, do I drain the bacon grease before adding the olive oil?
Hi Mia. I cooked the bacon in the oven, but you can also prepare it on the stovetop. Simply cook the bacon first in the same pan, then remove it along with the bacon fat, and use olive oil to cook the scallops.
I love this recipe! It never fails to please! Simple and delicious! I recently added some prawns and asparagus and it was a one dish wonder!
Janine, I love the addtion of prawns and asparagus - sounds so good!! ❤️
I made this tonight but added garlic. I forgot to add the parsley but later realised parsely would have been great in this recipe. My daughter loves bacon wrapped scallops but this is a much easier version of that and we both loved it!