Scallops are somewhat misunderstood because cooking them perfectly can be a challenge, but if you can use these jewels of the sea in some recipes, your friends and family will love you forever. The trick is to clean them carefully and monitor them closely when you’re cooking them.
What are scallops? Scallops are buttery and tender seafood mollusks that have a mild, sweet flavor.
While it can be tricky to get scallops perfect, a little practice (and the best scallop recipes) can get you to scallop perfection.
Scallops are super easy to cook, and when you have some scallops, you can quickly and easily create an elegant seafood meal for the people you love (or just for yourself!)
From grilled scallops to pan seared scallops, and blackened scallops to sautéed scallops and baked scallops, there are so many different ways to cook sea scallops.
Scallop recipes have been delighting seafood lovers for centuries with their tender, juicy texture and mild, sweet flavor. These versatile shellfish can be prepared in various ways, making them a sought-after ingredient for restaurant chefs and home cooks alike. From seared to baked, broiled to grilled, there’s a scallop dish to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.
One notable aspect of scallops is their nutritional value. As a low-fat, high-protein food source, they provide essential nutrients such as vitamin B12, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids. These features make scallops a perfect choice for health-conscious individuals looking to indulge in delicious, guilt-free meals.
Does an exotic green curry scallops recipe appeal to you? Or perhaps you want some bacon with your scallops. If that’s the case, bacon-wrapped scallops will be exactly what you’re craving for your next seafood dinner.
Are you ready to find the best sea scallop recipe to cook for your family and friends? Let’s dive in and check out these 13 easy scallop recipes!
Anytime we can use mango in our cooking, we know it’s going to be an excellent meal.
To make the green curry sauce in this recipe, you need onion, garlic, minced ginger, green curry paste, coconut milk, chicken broth (or chicken stock), lemongrass, fish sauce, ponzu sauce, kaffir lime, Thai basil leaves, red bell pepper, broccoli florets, and sugar snap peas.
The mango salsa is made with diced mango, red onion, chopped jalapeno pepper, fresh mint leaves, cilantro, kaffir lime, sea salt, and black pepper.
We’ve already established that sea scallops are perfect with herbs and garlic butter sauce, so this scallops recipe will delight your seafood lovers.
For this scallops recipe, the scallops are seared in a heavy skillet with oil and capers. Be sure to season your scallops with salt and pepper before searing them.
The herbs to use to make this recipe are fresh oregano, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary. Garnish your completed dish with lemon wedges.
Seared sea scallops are one of the most popular seafood dishes and this pan seared scallops recipe will give you perfect seared scallops every time.
To make this seared scallop recipe, you’re going to sear scallops in a heavy skillet.
The ingredients to make these seared scallops are super simple. All you need are your seared sea scallops, sea salt, black pepper, butter, and oil with a high smoke point. One good oil to use is avocado oil.
Serve these seared sea scallops with a green salad and a baked potato for a complete meal.
We love nearly anything that’s wrapped in bacon, and these bacon wrapped scallops will disappear before your eyes when you serve them to a hungry crowd.
Other ingredients in this recipe are maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and chopped parsley. Before you put your scallops on the broiler pan or baking pan, spray it with cooking spray.
If you’ve ever spent any time in Spain and happened to be there on the weekend, you probably enjoyed a delicious paella dish with seafood like shrimp or scallops.
This recipe for scallops and Spanish paella is one of the best scallop recipes you can make for guests.
You need fish broth to make this recipe, but if you don’t have fish broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth will work.
Spices used in this scallop dish are garlic, saffron threads, black pepper, fresh chives (for garnish), and smoked paprika.
The other ingredients are extra virgin olive oil, plump jumbo shrimp, onion, and tomato sauce.
We can’t get enough of scallops and bacon together, so we had to include this recipe for bacon scallops on our list.
For this scallops recipe, you need chicken broth, thick-cut bacon, butter, a sweet onion, grated parmesan cheese, black pepper, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh parsley.
Serve this bacon and scallops meal with basmati rice, brown rice, or your favorite pasta. Add a green salad or baked potato and you have a full meal that will be impossible to resist.
Work quickly as you cook the scallops in the clarified butter. Granulated white sugar gives these scallops a wonderful flavor.
For seasoning these scallops, you need kosher salt (or sea salt), black pepper, dry white wine, fresh lemon juice, fresh parsley, minced chives, and lemon zest.
Serve your scallops with pasta or rice. Add a green salad and you have a complete meal.
Hearing scallops sizzling in a cast-iron skillet is like music to our ears!
To make these pan seared brown butter scallops, you need unsalted butter, garlic cloves, and fresh thyme sprigs.
When you get ready to cook these scallops, you need to be sure you remove the small muscle that’s on the side of every sea scallop. Cook them just until the centers of the scallops are translucent.
Serve your brown butter scallops with basmati rice, brown rice, or your favorite pasta. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Grilled scallops may just be the best scallop recipie! And these grilled scallops are so easy to pull together and cook on the grill.
A grilled scallop turns out to be juicy and full of flavor, and you can serve these grilled scallops with your favorite veggies or a baked potato.
In fact, while the grill is already nice and hot, how about grilling some veggies such as squash, corn, or asparagus?
What Types of Scallops Should You Buy?
Did you know that not all scallops are created equally? In fact, there are some scallops you should avoid completely if you want to make the best scallop tecipes.
Buy sea scallops (avoid bay scallops). In every scallop receipe on our list of scallops recipes, sea scallops are used to make these seafood recipes. Although technically also seafood, a bay scallop is mostly used in soups and stews because they’re small.
Frozen scallops and fresh scallops are both delicious. For our scallops recipes, you can use either frozen scallops or fresh scallops. Scallops that are wet (as opposed to dry scallops) are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate and water before they’re frozen. Because of this, a wet scallop can have a bouncy texture and somewhat soapy taste. However, there’s an easy trick to make frozen scallops or wet scallops perfect. To freshen your wet scallops, brine them by letting them sit in a saltwater solution for 10 minutes before you cook them.
Farmed scallops or wild-caught scallops? Wild-caught scallops are a sustainable choice because they’re caught in the country where you live. However, farmed scallops are subject to quality standards, too.
Do you want to make sure you don’t make common mistakes when you’re cooking the best scallop recipe? Check out the video below for tips and tricks for making easy scallops.
13 Best Scallop Recipes (+Seared Scallops)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
