Learn how to cook restaurant-worthy scallops at home. Our recipe guarantees beautiful golden-brown seared scallops and comes together in 10 minutes!

Scallops are one of the easiest things you can cook, especially if you sear them in a pan (they’re just as easy as shrimp). This is my go-to scallops recipe, and I’m happy to share it with you!

There’s no need to be intimidated. Scallops are easy to cook, I promise. With a few tricks, you’ll be cooking them like a pro in no time. Plus, I’ll show you how to make our delicious garlic basil butter to serve with them.

Key Ingredients

• Scallops: I look for large sea scallops since they taste sweet. I also prefer fresh. Frozen will work in this recipe, so check the tips section below for tips on thawing them before cooking.
• Oil, salt, and pepper: I cook them in a hot skillet with some oil. Any high-heat oil works. I especially love avocado oil. You’ll also want to season your scallops liberally before cooking them.
• Flour: While optional, I love dusting flour over mine before cooking them. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. You can skip this step if you don’t have flour or are gluten-free.
• Butter, garlic, basil, and lemon: It’s hard to describe just how delicious our garlic basil butter is with these seared scallops. I highly recommend it, and it only adds a minute or two of cooking time.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Cook Scallops Like a Pro

Tip 1: Pat them dry. I use a paper towel to pat them as dry as possible. Damp scallops don’t sear or brown in the pan. The drier they are, the better they will sear. Frozen scallops will have more moisture, so take extra care when patting them dry.

Tip 2: Lightly dust flour on each side. The flour absorbs excess moisture and adds a nice golden brown crust. I use the same trick when searing fish, and even pork chops!

Tip 3: Season well. I use a generous amount of salt and pepper. I season one side of the scallops out of the pan, place them seasoned side down into the hot pan, and then while that side cooks, I season the other side.

Tip 4: Use a hot skillet. If they aren’t sizzling when you place them in the pan, it isn’t hot enough. You can always test the heat with one scallop and adjust from there.

Tip 5: Finish with our garlic basil butter. To really make these restaurant-worthy, use our garlicky butter. Scallops already taste incredible, but adding a bit of creamy butter, garlic, and fresh herbs at the end of cooking makes them out of this world. I also love using garlic butter when finishing our shrimp scampi recipe and cilantro lime butter shrimp.

Serving Suggestions

Many side dishes work well with seared scallops. I love creamy grits, polenta, mashed potatoes, and mushroom risotto. For a lighter, low-carb side, try mashed cauliflower or zucchini noodles.

For rice, take a look at our saffron rice, coconut rice or this cilantro lime rice. Roasted vegetables are also lovely. Think about roasted asparagus, roasted cabbage, or roasted green beans.

More Favorite Seafood Recipes

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I love this super flavorful red snapper recipe made with pan-fried snapper and a spicy tomato, olive, and herb sauce. This easy fish recipe is quick to make and full of flavor!

I love how fresh, light, and zesty this snapper recipe is. It’s also all made in one pan, which is always a win in our book. The fish is cooked simply with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then, we make a quick pan sauce with tomatoes, olives, citrus zest, and red pepper flakes to make it a bit spicy.

I love serving this snapper dish with a side of bread or flatbread to scoop up all that incredible sauce. I love homemade focaccia or these easy flatbreads, which only take 30 minutes to make!

Key Ingredients

• Snapper: I used a red snapper fillet for this recipe. Snapper has a mildly sweet and delicate taste. However, some snapper stocks may be overfished, so I encourage you to check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website for sustainable options in your area. The good news is that you can easily substitute any firm white fish, like tilapia, Pacific halibut, Pacific cod, or black cod (sablefish), for the snapper in this recipe.
• Shallot, Garlic, and Red Pepper Flakes: These three ingredients form the flavorful base of our tomato sauce. I prefer shallots for their mild sweetness, but you can also use yellow or sweet onions.
• Citrus Zest: I use a microplane to add lemon and orange zest to the sauce. The combination of orange, olives, and tomato is simply irresistible!
• Olives: I toss in Kalamata olives for their briny, salty bite. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can use green Castelvetrano olives, which are buttery and delicate.
• Tomatoes: While fresh tomatoes work well, I usually opt for canned diced tomatoes for convenience. If you have fire-roasted canned tomatoes on hand, they’ll add even more depth of flavor.
• Herbs: I always finish this dish with a handful of fresh herbs to enhance the taste. I used parsley, dill, and chives in our photos, but mint or cilantro would also be delicious.

How to Make Snapper with Spicy Tomato Sauce

I keep the fish preparation simple and let the spicy tomato sauce be the star of the dish. The trick is to season the snapper fillets with salt and pepper, then pan-fry them until they are almost cooked in the middle.

I remove the fish from the pan before it’s fully cooked, then make the sauce in the same pan. Once the sauce is ready, I nestle the pan-fried snapper back into the pan, allowing it to finish cooking in the flavorful sauce. This technique keeps the fish moist and helps it absorb all those incredible flavors.

For more easy fish recipes, see our easy baked trout, maple soy glazed salmon, and this swordfish recipe with lime.

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