Seared Scallops With Brown Butter And Lemon Pan Sauce Recipes

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEMON BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
• Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium high heat. Add thyme.
• Add scallops seasoned side-down and cook without disturbing for 3-4 minutes, until well browned.
• Flip scallops over and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes. While scallops are cooking, spoon the butter over the tops to infuse more flavor.
• Squeeze lemon juice over the scallops and serve.

LEMON BUTTER SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Season them with salt and pepper on both sides
• Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. When hot, add the scallops to the pan - do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed. Cook on one side, 60-90 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds. Remove from pan. Repeat until all scallops are cooked.
• Reduce heat to low. Add butter, garlic, lemon juice to the pan. Stir, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and chopped parsley, remove from heat.
• Drizzle the sauce over the scallops and serve right away.

PAN-SEARED LEMON AND GARLIC SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Place scallops in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Combine 5 tablespoons warm butter, lemon juice, and garlic in a bowl; whisk until combined. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• At the same time, remove scallops from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, making sure it does not smoke. Brush scallops with garlic mixture and add to the pan. Cook until the bottoms begin to sear and turn golden, about 2 minutes. Flip scallops, brush with garlic mixture, and cook another 2 minutes. Remove scallops from the heat and let them continue to cook while they rest, off the heat, for 5 more minutes. Plate and serve.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH HERB BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until quite hot.
• Pat scallops dry one more time and put them in the pan in a single, uncrowded layer.
• Season with salt and pepper and let sear undisturbed until one side is browned and crisp, 2-4 minutes.
• Using tongs, turn the scallops and sear until the second side is well browned and the scallops are almost firm to the touch, 2-4 minutes.
• Take the pan off the heat, transfer the scallops to a plate, and set them in a warm spot.
• Let the pan cool for a minutes before you make the sauce.
• When pan has cooled somewhat, return it to medium heat.
• Add a piece of the butter and the shallots and saute until shallots begin to soften, about 1 minutes.
• Add wine and simmer until reduced by half, another 1-2 minutes.
• Add the herbs and lemon zest.
• Reduce heat to low, add the remaining butter, and whisk constantly until the butter melts into the sauce.
• Return the scallops and any accumulated juices to the pan.
• Gently roll the scallops in the sauce to warm them through.
• Taste for salt and pepper and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over the scallops.

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEMON CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium-sized bowl combine salt and hot water, stirring to dissolve the salt. Add ice water to cool the brine. Add scallops to the brine and let stand for 10 minutes. Line a sheet pan with paper towels, set aside.
• Drain the scallops, rinse under cold water, and then arrange in a single layer on the paper towel-lined sheet pan. Place another paper towel on top of the scallops and gently pat scallops. Remove as much surface moisture as possible for the best browning results when cooked.
• Allow scallops to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before cooking.
• In a 12-inch saute pan or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until oil ripples and just begins to smoke.
• Sprinkle scallops lightly with salt on both sides.
• Place scallops into the hot pan without crowding. Gently press scallops with a spatula to make direct contact with the pan.
• Sear scallops without moving them, continuing to cook until bottoms are a rich golden brown, 3 to 3 ½ minutes.
• Add butter to the pan. Turn the scallops over and cook the second side. Use a spoon to baste the scallops with the butter, tilting the pan to collect the butter as needed.
• When the scallops are opaque in color and firm to the touch, about 1 to 2 minutes, turn off heat and transfer to a plate, do not discard pan.
• In the same pan used for cooking the scallops turn heat to medium. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant but not browned.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add wine. Simmer wine, stirring as needed until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to high and add the chicken stock, lemon zest, lemon juice and capers to the pan. Cook until sauce is reduced by half, about ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat and whisk in Dijon mustard.
• Turn heat to medium and add scallops back to pan, cook until warm, 2 minutes.
• Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Garnish scallops with chopped dill, chives and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

SEA SCALLOPS WITH BROWN BUTTER, CAPERS AND LEMON

Steps:

• Pat scallops dry with paper towels, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan or nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil. After 30 seconds, add scallops; do not crowd pan, work in batches if necessary. Sauté until well browned, about 2 minutes, then turn and cook other side. When second side is dark golden, transfer scallops to a platter; cover and keep warm.
• Return sauté pan to heat, add butter, and cook until it begins to foam and turn golden. Add shallot and capers, sauté for 1 minute, then add lemon juice (being careful to avoid sputtering butter) and chopped parsley.
• To serve, place 3 scallops on each of 4 warmed plates. Spoon butter, shallots and capers over scallops, and serve.

LEMON BUTTERED SEARED SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Place the scallops on a paper towel-lined sheet tray and pat dry. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper.
• Preheat a large nonstick saute pan on medium-high heat, then add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the scallops and sear on one side until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Gently turn the scallops over and add the Lemon Butter, basting the scallops by gently spooning the melting butter over the top, for about 1 minute.
• Add the wine and lemon juice and allow the scallops to simmer until they are cooked through, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the scallops to a platter and sprinkle with the chives.
• Combine the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt in a medium bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon the butter onto the lower third of a piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over the butter and use a spatula to compress the butter into a log about 5 inches long and 2 inches wide. Twist both ends of the plastic wrap to seal the butter inside. Refrigerate the butter until firm, at least 30 minutes, before using.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 2 tablespoons of the butter into pea-sized pieces, put it on a small plate, and stick it in the freezer. Heat a large skillet over medium-heat high for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil and wait for the butter to melt.
• Pat the scallops dry with paper towels, add them to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper; work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the skillet. Cook, turning once, until they are well browned on both sides but not quite cooked through, 2 minutes per side (less if the scallops are under 1 inch across; more if they're over). Transfer the scallops to a plate.
• Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, and wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the liquid in the skillet thickens, a minute or two, then whisk in the butter you chilled in the freezer, one bit at a time, to make a creamy sauce, adding another tablespoon or two of liquid if necessary.
• Return the scallops to the skillet and add the chives. Adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles gently and toss to coat the scallops with the sauce. To serve, transfer the scallops to a platter and spoon the sauce over all.
• Variation:
• Seared Scallops With Cherry Tomatoes and Basil: Skip the lemon juice. Cut 1 pint cherry tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes with the garlic and wine and cook until they wrinkle a bit and release their juice, 2 or 3 minutes. Use chopped fresh basil leaves instead of chives.
• Cooks' Notes
• Releasing From The Pan: The scallops will offer no resistance when they're ready to turn. Press down gently while the scallops cook to encourage full contact with the pan, then listen for a hiss: That's moisture heating and evaporating.
• Getting A Good Sear: The idea is to brown the scallops well on both sides without overcooking them, so keep the heat as high as you can without creating too much smoke.
• Building Sauce With Butter: After you add the liquid and deglaze the pan, the addition of butter develops fantastic creaminess and richness.
• Finishing The Dish: As soon as the scallops are cooked through completely and coated with the sauce, remove the pan from the heat; they will continue to cook. Nick-and-peek into one if you need to check for doneness.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH BROWN BUTTER AND LEMON PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 2 lemons in half and squeeze juice into a measuring glass or small bowl; you should have 1/4 cup juice. Set aside. Using a paring knife, cut ends off remaining lemon to expose flesh. Upend lemon on a cut end and remove peel and white pith from lemons; discard. Cut between membranes to release segments into bowl with juice; squeeze membranes to get any last drops of juice. Fish out any seeds; set aside. Thinly slice chives and place in a small bowl; set aside.
• Pull side muscle off scallops, if needed; pat dry. Season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet, preferably stainless steel, over medium-high. Pour in oil to lightly coat surface (2-3 Tbsp.); heat until it shimmers and you see first wisps of smoke. Swiftly place scallops into skillet, flat side down, and cook without touching, tossing, or fussing until underside is deep golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Use a thin spatula or tongs to gently turn over; if they resist, cook another 30 seconds and try again. Cook on second side until flesh at top and bottom looks opaque but there is still a faintly translucent strip in the middle, 1-2 minutes, depending on size. Transfer scallops to a plate.
• Pour off any oil in skillet and set over medium heat. Add butter and cook, swirling, until butter foams, then browns, about 2 minutes. Add reserved lemon juice and segments; energetically stir and swirl pan to emulsify sauce. Mix in capers and reserved chives and spoon pan sauce around and over scallops.

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEMON BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees (to keep cooked scallops warm for a few minutes while preparing lemon butter sauce). To prepare the scallops, examine each one for a side muscle, a square-shaped bit of tissue that runs in the opposite direction as the rest of the muscle. Pull it off by pinching it and tearing it away from the scallop.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet or plate with a clean kitchen towel. Arrange scallops in a single layer on towel, then cover with a second clean kitchen towel. Press down gently to blot liquid.
• Let scallops rest at room temperature until towels have absorbed most of their moisture, about 10 minutes. Season both sides of scallops with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a large skillet over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until just smoking. Add half of the scallops in a single layer, flat-side down. Cook, without moving, until well-browned, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet. Using tongs, flip scallops. Continue to cook, using a large spoon to baste each scallop with butter until the sides of scallops are firm and centers are opaque, about 30 to 90 seconds longer (tilt skillet to one side so the butter pools and is easier to scoop). Remove smaller scallops as they finish cooking.
• Transfer scallops to a large plate and tent loosely with foil. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat with remaining vegetable oil, scallops, and butter. Transfer to oven to keep warm while preparing lemon butter sauce.
• In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook, swirling constantly, until butter turns dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Stir in shallots until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in parsley, thyme, and lemon juice.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Serve immediately with scallops.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Pat the scallops dry on both sides with a paper towel. Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it's just smoking. Add the scallops in a single layer and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.
• Remove the scallops from the pan. Melt the butter in the pan.
• Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice and herbs.
• Return the scallops to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with herbs and lemon wedges, then serve immediately.