Best Seared Scallops with Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce - scalloped are seared in a skillet to a nice golden crust and then smothered in a creamy sauce made with butter, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, capers, and, of course, some heavy cream.
This recipe is all about how to make the best seared scallops and not worry about them being rubbery or dry! This is achieved by 1) cooking the scallops on stove top using the proper technique, and 2) coating them in a creamy sauce to keep them moist and to add more flavor!
When cooking scallops, it's important to cook them really fast on a really hot skillet and then immediately remove them from the skillet (not just remove the skillet from heat). This ensures that the scallops retain their nice golden crust and are not overcooked (rubbery).
Sear Scallops are really good in a creamy sauce, and I made a simple cream sauce using butter, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, capers, some salt to taste, and, of course, heavy cream. Make sure to prepare this sauce first, and cook scallops second, in a separate large skillet.
I used my favorite stainless steel skillet to cook scallops. When heated up to the right (high) temperature and used properly, stainless steel skillets produce beautiful searing results.
Seared Scallops with Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce
Ingredients
Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed, more if desired
- salt to taste
Scallops:
- 1 pound scallops , medium size, about 12-14 scallops, thawed completely if frozen
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
How to make creamy lemon-caper sauce:
- In a medium skillet, heat butter, olive oil and minced garlic on medium heat. Cook for about a minute, until garlic softens. Add heavy cream, bring to boil and cook for a couple of minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove from heat. Stir in drained capers and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Taste, add more lemon juice and salt, if needed. Keep covered.
How to cook the best pan-seared scallops:
- If using frozen scallops, make sure the scallops are thawed completely.
- Blot each scallop with paper towels to remove extra water.
- Season with salt by sprinkling 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 non-stick skillet on high heat until hot but not smoking. Oil should not be smoking, just rolling easily around the skillet.
- Add scallops without overcrowding the pan.
- Sear on one side for about 3-4 minutes until the bottom is nice golden color. Don't move the scallops around the pan in the beginning.
- Turn the scallops to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer the scallops to the plate immediately. Don't let the scallops sit in the hot skillet, off heat, because they will start to steam, lose their crust and harden up.
- Add cooked scallops to the cream sauce and reheat gently. Serve.
Nutrition
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.
I had an abundance of Salmon left from fishing season...so I used Salmon...Y'all, don't hesitate!! I followed the recipe exactly, except for the Salmon...this is WONDERFUL!!! Served with Fettuccine and crusty bread...HEAVEN!!
Linda, your comment made my day! 🙂 So glad the recipe was a success, even with salmon. Thank you for such a helpful and valuable comment!
Turned out wonderful. The best part was teaching us how not to over-cook scallops - something I'll take with me beyond this recipe. I didn't have heavy cream, so I used half-and-half with a little corn starch to thicken it up. I plated the finished scallops and sauce on top of some crazy-twisty noodles ("fusilli lunghi bucatti") and topped with parsley flakes and lemon zest. I satisfied my lemon craving.
Eric, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! I love using unique pasta shapes like fusilli lunghi bucati - they make pasta look even better!
Looks delicious! can i use half-n-half instead of heavy cream?
You could use half-and-half, but the sauce would be runnier than if using heavy cream. If using half-and-half, you might want to add about 1/3 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese while the sauce simmers and stir constantly until the cheese melts (before you add scallops). This will make the sauce thicker.
This is just an awesome dish !!!
Excellent recipe! We are on a Keto diet and this fits in perfectly! I served over Orzo from "The Low Carb Bread Co." This will be on the menu rotation! Loved it.
This is my new go to for scallops. very easy and an awesome taste.
These were very good. I used half and half because it's all I had on hand and served it with asparagus. Thank you!
Never tried scallops before, but this was very easy and turned out absolutely delicious! Worthy of a 5 star restaurant***** Thank you!
I am a struggling cook. I made this tonight and it was so delicious and I didn’t overcook the scallops. Served with pasta and a salad. A fabulous meal and easy enough for me!
So happy you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! Yes, the scallops are great when served with pasta and a salad.
How early can I make the creamy lemon caper sauce I have a huge party to do on Saturday just wondering if it could be made ahead of time and then reheated
I don't like to make creamy sauces in advance because they lose their texture when reheated. This sauce is really so easy - you don't have to make it ahead.
Oh my god, this was amazing!!!! I love capers and always make a chicken piccata, but was in the mood for scallops and saw this recipe, made it last night for myself with six scallops, made the sauce, added a little parm cheese to thicken it up as well, seared the scallops to perfection & also made a little pasta, was so delish! Still thinking about it the next morning! My six year old daughter saw me eating this & goes, "mom, are you in heaven?" So good!
Thank you, Robyn! Your comment made my day! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to share such a positive review! 🙂