Seared Scallops with Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce

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.

5 from 4 votes

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Seared Scallops with Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

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, some heavy cream.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 338 kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 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
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

How to make creamy lemon-caper sauce:

1. 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:

1. If using frozen scallops, make sure the scallops are thawed completely.
2. Blot each scallop with paper towels to remove extra water.
3. Season with salt by sprinkling each scallop with a dash of salt.
4. 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.
5. Add scallops without overcrowding the pan.
6. 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.
7. Turn the scallops to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
8. 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.

9. Add cooked scallops to the cream sauce and reheat gently. Serve.

Nutrition Facts

Seared Scallops with Creamy Lemon-Caper Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 338 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 28g 43%

Saturated Fat 12g 60%

Cholesterol 89mg 30%

Sodium 741mg 31%

Potassium 274mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%

Protein 14g 28%

Vitamin A 13.4%

Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 3.8%

Iron 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.