You’ll find your new favorite seafood recipe with these Creamy Lemon Garlic Scallops! Simplicity is key with a small list of ingredients. Plenty of fresh lemon, garlic, and a gorgeous white wine cream sauce; there’s no better way to enjoy scallops. Try it over pasta for an easy gourmet meal!
While I spend time on the east coast, it’s only right that I take advantage of the abundant, fresh seafood available. Scallops, lobsters, salmon, muscles, clams; you name it. It’s heaven for us seafood fanatics!
I like to think I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to food, but I’m a creature of habit when it comes to making scallops. They’re always pan-seared with butter, garlic, and lemon. Today I wanted to have a complete meal and enjoy these scallops over pasta. The sauce was a must! Hypothetically, you can leave the wine and cream out completely, but why on earth would you do that?
Ingredients
Click that “Jump to the Recipe” button at the top of the page or keep on scrolling down to the recipe card for ingredient amounts and the full recipe instructions. Below you’ll find a section for substitutes, tips, tricks, and a great reference for any troubleshooting or questions you may have.
- Scallops – I used medium-sized scallops. These are my favorite to enjoy with sauce. Not too small, not too big. Just right. If you use a different size, keep in mind the searing time will be different.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Olive oil – For searing. You can use vegetable, canola, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, avocado, or coconut oil instead.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted to have full control over the amount of sodium.
- Garlic – As much or as little as you like! Fresh is best, but jarred can be used instead.
- White wine – I used Chardonnay. Pinot Gris/ Grigio/ Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc will work instead.
- Cream – I used heavy cream. I wouldn’t go lower than 15%MF cream for this recipe since the lemon juice is acidic enough to break the sauce. You can also use canned coconut milk.
- Lemon juice – Fresh is best!
- Parsley – Optional, for a fresh, green garnish.
How to make creamy lemon garlic scallops
- Prep: Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter to the skillet. Once the butter has melted and begins to bubble, add the scallops.
- Sear: the scallops for 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove the scallops and set them aside on a plate.
- Deglaze: Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 20-30 seconds, or just until it begins to brown. Pour the wine into the skillet and stir, scraping up any bits off the bottom. Let it bubble for another 30 seconds.
- Sauce: Pour the cream and lemon juice into the skillet. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer, stirring often, until it has reduced and thickened slightly.
- Finish: Add the scallops back to the skillet, along with any juices that have collected on the plate. Turn off the heat and toss the scallops in the sauce to warm them through. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Make it alcohol-free
While most of the alcohol in the wine is cooked out, it’s completely understandable if you want to be absolutely sure the alcohol content of your sauce is guaranteed 0%. I’ve tried some alcohol-free white wine which mimicked the flavor almost spot-on.
You can also use 1/3 cup chicken, veggie, or seafood broth mixed with 1 tsp white vinegar.
How to serve creamy lemon garlic scallops
As an appetizer: Serve the scallops in the skillet with a loaf of crusty bread to soak up all that extra sauce.
As the main dish: Cook some linguini al dente. Toss the linguini into the creamy sauce, and serve with the scallops placed on top of each serving. Finish with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese over top.
No matter how you serve your scallops, I definitely suggest serving them some extra lemon wedges on the side!
How to store and reheat cooked scallops
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don’t suggest storing your leftovers in the freezer. Scallops are quite delicate and can end up with an odd texture once cooked, frozen, and thawed.
You’ll want to reheat your scallops extremely gently to avoid over-cooking them. I did this by reheating them, in the sauce, in the microwave at 15-20 second intervals. Stir everything between each interval until the sauce is warm.
You can also reheat on the stove. Transfer leftovers to a skillet over medium-low heat. Keep some broth or water handy and add a splash or two if you find the sauce is reducing too much. Stir often until the sauce is warm, then remove the skillet from the heat.
Did you love this simple one-pot meal? Try these:
- Maple Soy Glazed Salmon
- Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Salmon
- Chicken Marsala
- Tortellini Soup
- Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Peas
- Chicken and Mushroom Coconut Curry
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Creamy Lemon Garlic Scallops
Ingredients
- 1 lb scallops
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter unsalted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup white wine such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- parsley optional, freshly chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter to the skillet. Once the butter has melted and begins to bubble, add the scallops.
- Sear the scallops for 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove the scallops and set them aside on a plate.
- Add the butter to the skillet and good for 20-30 seconds, or just until it begins to brown. Pour the wine into the skillet and stir, scraping up any bits off the bottom. Let it bubble for another 30 seconds.
- Pour the cream and lemon juice into the skillet. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer, stirring often, until it has reduced and thickened slightly. About 5 minutes.
- Add the scallops back to the skillet, along with any juices that have collected on the plate. Turn off the heat and toss the scallops in the sauce to warm them through. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Simply amazing