Creamy Lemon Garlic Pan Seared Scallops

4.79 from 23 votes

These beautifully golden pan seared scallops are taken to the next level with a heavenly lemon garlic cream sauce! Ready in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy scallops recipe, pan seared scallops

Servings:

Pat scallops dry with paper towel. Trim off the tough side muscle that some of the scallops may still have (it looks whiter than the rest of the scallop). Season both sides of the scallops with salt & pepper.
Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the scallops and cook them for 2-3 minutes/side. Do not overcrowd the pan, and don't move them around the pan.
Take the pan off the heat and remove the scallops from the pan and set them aside. You can cover them with foil to keep them warm if you wish.
Add in the garlic, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Return the pan to the heat and let it bubble for about 30 seconds - 1 minute while stirring to scrape up the brown bits.
Stir in the cream and let it cook for a few minutes until it reduces to your liking. Add the scallops back into the pan and let them gently warm through. The middles should be somewhat translucent - scallops will become rubbery if they are overcooked. Give the sauce a taste and add more salt & pepper or lemon juice if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

This serves 2-4 depending on how much people eat (you could serve this as an appetizer or entree).
I used U10 extra colossal size sea scallops. That means that there's around 10 in a pound.
I do not recommend replacing the cream with anything like milk or half-and-half. The sauce won't turn out as nice, and the lemon juice is likely to curdle it.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.