This Scallop Recipe is super flavorful, with a buttery sauce packed with bacon, fresh lemon juice, garlic, herbs, and white wine. Serve these as the main course or as the perfect appetizer to feed a crowd!
Note: This post was originally shared in May 2021, and has been updated with new photos and slight tweaks to the recipe to make it better. We hope you enjoy!
These beautiful scallops come perfectly seared and juicy, then served with a bacon lemon butter sauce, with lots of fresh garlic, shallots, and a few red pepper flakes for a little heat. Top it all off with basil and chopped parsley for some freshness, and it's truly decadent!
Looking for more delicious seafood recipes? Be sure to try our very popular creamy steak and seafood skillet, these grilled sausage and shrimp skewers, our surf and turf, or this keto shrimp and broccoli skillet! For something super luxurious, our butter poached lobster and lobster pasta are perfect for you!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Make in one pan - These cast iron scallops get perfectly seared in the skillet, and the whole sauce comes together in there as well. The less dirty dishes, the better!
- Perfect for special occasions - Whether it's just a beautiful summer day and you want to celebrate the weather with some succulent scallops, or it's mid-February and you want to surprise that special someone for Valentine's Day, this restaurant quality dish is the perfect meal!
- Naturally gluten free, low carb, and keto friendly - This recipe is made with real, simple ingredients, and they're all naturally free of any gluten, and suitable for a low carb diet.
- Made with staple ingredients - You can find all of these ingredients at nearly any grocery store! The others are kitchen and pantry staples.
🥓Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to bring the recipe to life, with a few extras that aren't totally necessary, but a great addition. You can find the nutrition facts and full quantities in the recipe card.
✏️Ingredient notes
- Large scallops – You can use fresh or frozen scallops. They shouldn't smell fishy. You will want to remove the tendons before cooking, and find dry scallops if you can. Dry scallops aren't pumped full of a saline solution that helps preserve them, so if you can find them, that's your best bet.
- Bacon – Thick cut bacon is best, as it will hold up nicely when simmering in the sauce. Make sure to cut it into chunks before cooking.
- Olive oil & butter – We sear the scallops in the olive oil since it has a much higher smoke point than butter. The butter is added at the end when preparing the sauce, mostly for creaminess and flavor.
- Garlic & shallots (or onion) - Garlic and onion or shallots will work fine to create a lovely base of your sauce.
- White wine - To deglaze the pan and create a flavorful sauce. You can substitute for seafood or chicken stock if you prefer.
- Lemon juice & zest – We add plenty of fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest to really amp up the flavor.
- Black pepper, kosher salt & red pepper flakes - The seasoning is pretty simple since we have a lot of flavorful ingredients going on here. You can't go wrong with some salt, red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- Italian basil & parsley – For freshness and flavor.
📖Instructions
🔪Prep work
- Mince garlic, and dice shallots in advance.
- Measure out seasonings.
- Cut bacon into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Place scallops on a paper towel-lined plate, and dry off really well. We like to place the scallops on a plate in the fridge and leave them uncovered for 24 hours to help dry them out. This will give us the best sear. Excess moisture makes it hard for the scallops to form a nice golden crust.
Cook the bacon
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon bits and cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Drain and clean the skillet, then return to stove.
Sear the scallops
Heat the skillet until very hot, then add the olive oil. Sear the scallops for about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Do this in batches so you don’t over crowd the pan. After scallops are cooked through, remove from the skillet and set aside.
Make the pan sauce
Allow the skillet to cool down to a medium heat, for about 10 minutes before adding some of the butter and shallots, or else you will burn them.
Add shallots or onions to the skillet with the butter with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, red pepper flakes, and add back the bacon bits. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add lemon juice, zest, and white wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Stir in basil, parsley, and remaining butter to the sauce.
Finish the dish
Return scallops to the skillet to warm through. Garnish with more parsley and basil. You can serve with lemon wedges as well. Serve immediately as a main dish or delicious appetizer! Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- For the best scallops with a nice golden crust, you will want to make sure they're dried off really well. Moisture and a nice crust on your scallops just don't mix. Take some paper towels and dry your scallops very well.
- Season with salt and pepper, and make sure your pan is really hot. You really do want the pan to be smoking hot, on high heat. Add olive oil to the pan right before adding the scallops.
- Add the scallops in a single layer, but leave plenty of space between them. You don't want to overcrowd the pan! Overcrowding will produce extra moisture, and you don't want that. You will want to cook the scallops in batches.
- Once the scallops are in the pan, don't touch or move them for at least 90 seconds. The scallops will naturally release once they have seared. Once they're browned, flip them over for another 30-60 seconds. That's it!
- Use larger scallops for best results. These will be the most juicy, flavorful, and develop the best sear.
- Use a large skillet as well to speed up the process. We always use a 12-inch skillet or larger.
💭Frequently asked questions
Scallops taste pretty similar to their relatives - clams and oysters. They have a mild sweetness to them sort of like lobster and crab. They have a buttery and almost nutty, delicate flavor to them. They taste great with a lot of things! Including, white wine, fresh herbs, lemon, butter, garlic, basil, and green vegetables like green beans and broccoli.
According to WedMD, scallops are some of the healthiest foods around! They're loaded with vitamins and minerals, and high in protein, while being low in carbs and calories. Scallops are also high in omega-3's, antioxidants, and zinc.
Choose something dry, light, and refreshing, but not oaky. Skip the chardonnay, and opt for something like a pinot grigio.
🥦Side dishes to serve with scallops
- Redskin mashed potatoes
- Zucchini noodles
- Garlic and lemon green beans
✨Variations & substitutions
- No garlic? You can use garlic powder instead.
- You can substitute shallots for yellow onions if you prefer.
- Want to add more spice? Add in some cayenne pepper!
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🥣Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days. We recommend reheating the next day. These are best enjoyed fresh, and seafood does have a shorter shelf life than other proteins.
We don't recommend freezing.
To reheat, cover and gently simmer on the stovetop.
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📖 Recipe
Scallops with Bacon and White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds scallops
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 medium shallots, diced (can substitute yellow onions)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces white wine (like pinot grigio)
- 2 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice (juice from 2 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- parsley and fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Clean the skillet and return to the stove.
- Heat the skillet until very hot, then add the olive oil. Add the scallops to the skillet and don't overcrowd the pan. Sear for about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Don't remove them from the skillet and set them aside.
- Allow the skillet to cool down to medium heat, for about 10 minutes before adding some of the butter and shallots, or else you will burn them. Add shallots to the skillet with the butter with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, red pepper flakes, and bacon bits. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add lemon juice, zest, and white wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes, then add back the bacon bits. Stir in basil, parsley, and remaining butter to the sauce. Return scallops to the skillet to warm through. Garnish with parsley and basil. Enjoy!
Notes
- Choose a pinot grigio or something lighter, crisper, and fruity for this dish. Avoid oaky chardonnays.
- You can also use seafood stock or chicken stock instead of wine.
- To get a nice golden crust on the scallops, you will want to make sure they are dried off really well. Moisture and a nice crust on your scallops just don't mix. Take some paper towels and dry your scallops very well.
- Season with salt and pepper, and make sure your pan is really hot. You really do want the pan to be smoking hot, on high heat. Add olive oil to the pan right before adding the scallops.
- Add the scallops in a single layer, but leave plenty of space between them. You don't want to overcrowd the pan! Overcrowding will produce extra moisture, and you don't want that. You will want to cook the scallops in batches.
- Once the scallops are in the pan, don't touch or move them for at least 90 seconds. The scallops will naturally release once they have seared. Once they're browned, flip them over for another 30-60 seconds. That's it!
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
Pam R. says
I have not tried this recipe yet, so no rating...I have a question. You said in the "ingredients notes... under Bacon,"We will also reserve some of the rendered bacon fat." I am assuming you meant for use in the recipe. I was reading through the recipe and I'm not seeing where you reserved any of the rendered bacon fat and/or used any of the rendered bacon fat. Am I missing it somewhere? Or did you change this?
Briana says
Hi Pam,
Thank you so much for the comment and for bringing this to my attention! This recipe just got updated and that was a sentence I meant to scrub.
When we first made this recipe, we used to use some of the rendered bacon fat when searing the scallops. We found that led to the bacon fat burning since the scallops are seared at such a high heat. As much as we love bacon fat, we felt it was better to discard it or save it for another dish!
Hope you enjoy the dish!