Lemon Butter Scallops
Updated Dec 12, 2025
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Golden-brown scallops in a buttery lemon sauce might sound like a restaurant dish, but this recipe proves you can pull it off in minutes at home. Perfectly seared sea scallops are finished with a quick pan sauce of butter, shallots, lemon, and herbs, and it is the kind of elegant, simple seafood dinner that doesn’t reveal how easy it was to make. Learn how to get that perfect caramelized crust, how to avoid overcooking, and make the silkiest, richest lemon butter sauce ever.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast and Fancy – Ready in under 20 minutes.
- Perfect Golden Crust – Tips for foolproof tender seared scallops
- Silky Lemon Butter Sauce – Goes with everything
- Minimal Ingredients, Maximum Flavor – 5 ingredients, plus the scallops
These Lemon Butter Scallops are the definition of what I think of as a bit of a cheat: a gorgeous, elegant, luxurious meal that takes very few ingredients and hardly any time (less than 20 minutes!) to pull together. But boy, wouldn’t you be happy seeing these on a restaurant menu? And aren’t you happy not to pay restaurant prices for this dish?
Sweet, tender sea scallops seared to golden perfection are paired with a quick lemon butter sauce that you make right in the same pan. The result is a rich scallop dish with a silky, citrusy, buttery sauce.
Cooking one side of the scallops until very nicely browned will allow you to have that beautiful golden crust and presentation, but making sure not to cook the other side too long will give you very tender scallops. Serve these alongside salad with Italian dressing or Mustard Vinaigrette and Caprese Garlic Bread.
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Tips For Perfectly Browned Scallops
- Use a very hot pan to get that perfect brown crust.
- Don’t move the scallops around too much.
- Allow one side to brown thoroughly – this will be the side you serve on top. Browning one side more than the other allows you to get a great caramelized sear on the top of the scallops, without overcooking them.
- Make sure to dry the scallops. Removing as much moisture as possible helps them caramelize.
- Avoid overcooking scallops. It is better to slightly undercook scallops than to overcook them, which will cause them to become rubbery.
Lemon Butter Sauce for Scallops
After the scallops are seared, you will just make a very simple pan sauce with butter, lemon juice, shallots, and some herbs. The little browned bits from sautéing the scallops will be pulled into the sauce, adding depth and flavor.
You can make this sauce any time you are searing up a piece of fish or some seafood! Try it with shrimp, salmon, tilapia, trout, anytime you are simply cooking some seafood.
Ingredients
- Sea scallops – Look for dry-packed scallops. Most dry scallops have a slightly ivory-pink hue; bright white scallops are usually wet and treated with a solution, and you want to avoid these. Avoid wet scallops, which have been treated with preservatives to extend their shelf life.
- Olive oil and unsalted butter
- Salt and ground black pepper
For the Lemon Butter Sauce
- Fresh lemon juice – Scallops deserve fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Be sure to save a few lemons to cut into wedges for serving this dish.
- Shallot
- Parsley and thyme
- Unsalted butter
How to Make Lemon Butter Sea Scallops
- Prep the scallops: Remove the tendons from the scallops and press them dry with a clean dish towel or paper towels. Let them sit on the paper towels for 5 minutes.
- Pan-sear the scallops: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan heats up, season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add them to the pan (don’t crowd them), and cook without moving for 2-3 minutes, until browned.
- Finish cooking the scallops: Flip the scallops and cook for another 1-2 minutes, basting the scallops with the melted butter. Transfer the scallops to a plate, with the prettiest/most browned side up. Tent them with aluminum foil to keep them warm while you make the sauce.
- Make the sauce and serve: Melt the remaining butter. Sauté the shallots until light golden brown. Stir in the parsley, thyme, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Add any juices from the plate holding the scallops. Drizzle the sauce over the scallops, or pass the sauce on the side. Serve with the lemon wedges.
What to Serve With Sea Scallops in Lemon Butter Sauce
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Lemon Butter Scallops
Ingredients
- 1 pound large sea scallops
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Simple Lemon Butter Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot (minced)
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- Lemon wedges (to serve)
Instructions
- Remove the side muscle or tendon from the scallops before cooking them. Place the scallops on a clean dish towel or paper towels. Cover them with another clean dish towel or paper towels, press the towel gently onto the surface of the scallops, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large pan, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the scallops without crowding them in the pan (cook in batches if needed). Cook, without moving, for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip the scallops with a spatula and allow the other side to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. While the second side is browning, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and as it melts, use a spoon to baste the tops of the scallops.
- Transfer the scallops to a plate, with the prettiest/most browned side up. Tent them with aluminum foil to keep them warm while you make the sauce.
- Return the pan to medium heat, add the 4 tablespoons of butter, and allow the butter to melt. Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes until they and the butter are light golden brown, scraping up any little browned bits. Stir in the parsley, thyme, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Add any juices from the plate holding the scallops.
- Drizzle the sauce over the scallops, or pass the sauce on the side. Serve with the lemon wedges.
