These Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce are so easy to make, and yet the flavor is straight out of a 5 Star Restaurant. And it’s ready in under 10 minutes!
About Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ah, Scallops. There’s nothing quite like them. Rich, buttery, decadent and yes…I’ll admit it…a bit costly.
But they are Worth…Every…Lucious…Bite.
I ran across an article in Southern Living Magazine that really got my creative juices going.
If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I love scallops so much that I’ve turned them into a salad when I made Sautéed Scallops and Mango Slaw.
And into a pasta with Linguini with Scallops and Mizritha Browned Butter.
And the Granddaddy of them all in Bow Ties with Seafood Halifax Style.
But I really ramped them up this time. Not only are the scallops totally decadent, but this rich Lemon Butter Sauce puts this dish way over the top in fabulous flavor. Something chef worthy.
And when I say Lemon Butter Sauce, it’s so much more. Like garlic, shallots, thyme… All wrapped up in a rich chicken broth.
Ummm…ummmm…ummmm…
By the way, these Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce can either be served as fabulous appetizer, like you would see in a top restaurant, or you can do as I did and serve them as a main dish for dinner.
Either way, you’re going to love them.
So, let’s make them.
Ingredients for Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
- Butter
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Thyme
- Sea Salt
- Chicken Broth
- Lemon
- Olive oil
- Sea Scallops
- Chopped parsley
How to Make Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
Begin with the sauce. Just add butter to a sauce pan over medium heat.
Then you add the minced garlic and shallots and sauté for a minute. This brings out the flavor of the garlic and just begins to caramelize the shallots for a richer flavor.
Finally, add in the chicken broth, lemon juice, thyme and salt. Fresh thyme is preferred, but in a pinch you can use dried. Just use half the amount.
By the way, don’t skimp on the quality of the chicken broth because it definitely will change the flavor.
I really like Manischewitz Low Sodium Chicken Broth because because they make it in small batches and it really tastes like homemade.
And if you make your own chicken broth, this is absolutely the time to use it.
Let that broth continue to cook over medium heat about 4-5 minutes. You want the broth to reduce by about half to really develop its flavor.
Then just whisk in some butter to smooth out the sauce and give it richness.
Speaking of smoothness, I sieved the sauce through a strainer and then I returned it to the pan over low heat to keep it warm while I seared the scallops.
Searing scallops is a piece of cake. Just salt and pepper both sides of the scallops.
Then add oil to a frying pan over medium high heat and add the scallops.
Cook them 2 minutes on each side. Any longer then they will be tough. You want them just perfectly done.
To serve add 2 Tbsp of the Lemon Butter Sauce to each serving plate.
Then swish with the back of the spoon.
Yep, restaurant style.
Then carefully add the warm scallops to the plate over the sauce.
Garnish with some chopped parsley and wait for the oooh’s and ahhhh’s…especially after they take that first bite.
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Scallops with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Tsp Butter
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Shallots Minced
- 1 Tbsp Thyme leaves Fresh
- 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
- 3/4 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Small Lemon Juiced
- 2 Tbsp Butter Chilled
- 2 Tsp Olive oil
- 1/4 Tsp Pepper
- 8 Sea Scallops Rinsed and muscle removed
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Add butter to medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat. Add minced garlic and shallots and saute for 1 minute. Then add chicken broth, lemon juice, thyme and 1/2 Tsp salt.
- Continue to cook 4-5 minutes until broth has reduced by half.
- Whisk in the chilled butter a little at a time as you continue whisking to ensure smoothness.
- Sieve the sauce through a strainer and return the sauce to the pan to keep warm over low heat.
- Salt and pepper both sides of the scallops.
- Add olive oil to frying pan over medium high heat. Then add the scallops and cook 2 minutes. Then turn and cook 2 minutes more.
- To plate, add 2 Tbsp sauce to each serving platter. Swish with the back of the spoon. Then add 4 scallops in a row and sprinkle with parsley.