Pan Seared Scallops Recipe - Alton Brown Style (2024)

Alton Brown’s Scallops Recipe is the cat’s meow of seafood recipes. This pan-seared scallops recipe has just four other simple ingredients, including the salt and pepper. To top it off, this is a quick meal you can make in under 10 minutes!

I will show you the master’s technique for making this high-end dinner for a fraction of what you’ll pay in any restaurant. Spoiler: This is a restaurant quality meal that will probably taste better, too!

What are Scallops?

A treasure from the sea, they are members of the bivalve mollusk, just like clams, mussels, and oysters. The beautiful fan-shaped shells that line our sandy beaches are often their former homes.

Incredibly versatile, you can make scallops in an air fryer, or even wrap them in bacon for a delicious appetizer. No wonder they are one of my favorite seafoods!

This Alton Brown recipe uses large sea scallops. Those are big ones. The smaller bay scallops are great for soups, scallop pasta dishes and so much more.

If you’re looking for other great seafood recipes, we have many for you to choose from! Be sure to see our recipe for rockfish and one of my favorite way to make salmon on the smoker!

Ingredients

This scallops recipe has just a few ingredients. Other than the main one, you probably already have everything else you need to make this meal.

Each bite is chewy and balanced with a sweet, briny flavor.

How to Sear Scallops

Searing these will provide a light and sweet crust finish to this scallops recipe. It’s a super simple technique but there are a few key steps you need to follow.

The most important things to remember are:

1. Dry them before searing.
2. Use a hot pan.
3. Use a large skillet so you don’t overcrowd the pan.
4. Don’t move them around while searing.

The first thing to do when getting ready to sear these is to pat them dry with a paper towel. This will remove excess moisture and is a critical step in attaining a good sear.

After blotting dry, season them with salt and pepper. I like to use sea salt or kosher salt because the crystals are larger and have a bigger impact on flavoring.

Use a frying pan and heat the butter and olive oil just until it begins to smoke. Place them in the hot fat in a single layer, without crowding. Then sear them for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Use a set of kitchen tongs and flip each one and sear on the second side for the same amount of time.

Pro Cooking Tips:

• While they are searing, do not move them around or touch them until you flip them. Allow the searing process to form a crust.
• While the first side is searing in the olive oil and butter, gently tilt the pan and use a tablespoon to coat the tops of the uncooked sides with the hot fat. This will give a sweet, pre-sear coat to each one.

How to Buy Scallops

Fresh scallops are always best for this scallops recipe but most of us don’t have access to them. Instead, we only have frozen ones available.

Avoid Preservatives in Scallops

You will find these in the seafood cases of all the major grocery stores throughout the U.S. and they appear ever so plump and juicy, just begging to be taken home and enjoyed.

The very sad part of this scenario lies in the fact that many times their plumpness and juiciness lies not in their natural goodness, but rather in the taste-sucking evils of a preservative that goes by the name of sodium triphosphate (STP)

Besides being used as a preservative for much of the seafood we see in our grocer cases, it’s also a primary component of detergents. Nice eh? Not.

Look for Dry-Packed Scallops

The best scallops are fresh, but If you can’t find fresh ones, you should buy some that are dry-packed, for this scallops recipe. Dry-packed means they are shucked, packed up, and shipped on ice without chemical additives. These are the best quality scallops if fresh aren’t available.

These taste better than wet-packed alternatives, which are soaked in water and STP, meaning they become bloated with water and food additives, resulting in a dull flavor. You will also get a nicer sear with this scallops recipe if you use those that are dry-packed.

Scallops with too much moisture are also less successful in the pan, since excess water seeps out, preventing a flavorful crust from forming on the outside as it cooks.

The dry-packed variety may also have a stickier texture and a slightly more pronounced smell, which is nothing to worry about. They cost more but have a naturally sweeter taste.

If you’re wondering where to buy scallops, I always recommend getting them from Snake River Farms. Their scallops are certified to be free of preservatives and chemicals; even better, they deliver them to your door!

Common Questions About Cooking Scallops

Pro Cooking Tip: Remove the scallops from pan when their centers reach a temperature of 115° F. Because they are small, their carry-over cooking will take them to a perfect temperature of 125 to 130°. I love this instant-read thermometer, and it is the one I always recommend using.

Pro Cooking Tip: After soaking the scallops, pour the milk into a freezer bag (using care to leave any sand behind.) Freeze it and reserve for later use to make a seafood or clam chowder.

What to Serve with Scallops

Some easy sides dishes that go well with these can include:

• Rice pilaf
• Angel hair pasta
• Wilted spinach

Additions and Variations

You can make a super-easy sauce to complete this delicious dish using the following steps

1. Remove the them from the pan when they are done and set aside.
2. Add some finely chopped shallots, garlic, capers, or parsley, and a small amount of white wine, and reduce.
3. Add a small amount of cream, being sure to stir continuously to get all the browned bits from the pan. If the sauce looks dry, add a little more cream or wine.
4. Return the scallops to the pan and mix with the sauce, and then serve.

This simple sauce should only take about 3 minutes and can be poured over pasta or just mixed in with the scallops.

Garlic Lemon Butter Scallops

1. After searing and removing the scallops and set aside. Add two tablespoons of butter to the pan, over medium-heat. Toss in a couple of chopped cloves of garlic and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
2. Stir the mixture for a couple of minutes, until the garlic is soft and smells like heaven.
3. Return the scallops to the pan and mix with the warm sauce.
4. Plate and garnish with chopped parsley.

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This recipe is updated from the original post of October 3, 2014