A Step-By-Step Guide to Searing Scallops Like a Pro (2024)

Scallop cookery is something that I take very seriously. Scallops are too delicious (and too expensive) to be dropping the ball when it comes to cooking 'em. My perfect scallops have a golden brown, crusty exterior and a creamy, juicy interior. They're drizzled with a buttery, herby pan sauce and maybe served over some risotto or polenta. Elegant right?

Elegant as they may be, don't let these little mollusks intimidate you. You can whip up restaurant-quality seared scallops, right in the comfort of your home kitchen. Here's how it's done.

Buying Scallops

Not all scallops are created equal, so when you're shopping for your scallops, try to source them from a local fish market, if possible. If you don't have access to a local fish market, frozen scallops are never a bad idea. Just because a scallop is sold "fresh" at the supermarket does not mean it's any better than what's packed frozen. Always check for discoloration or ice crystals, as this can often mean that the scallops are of poor quality.

There might be some confusion between sea and bay scallops. In short: Sea scallops are the golf-ball sized scallops that you'd order in a restaurant, whereas bay scallops are tiny — and you might find them in soups or stews. Dry-packed scallops are always preferable to wet-packed, because wet-packed are treated with additives and chemicals, whereas dry-packed scallops are not. Wet-packed scallops are harder to crisp up and they tend to shrink after being cooked.

Dry the Scallops

Once you've purchased your scallops, the most important thing that you can do to prep them is to dry them out as much as possible. This can be done by generously salting them and then letting them sit on a paper towel-lined plate, uncovered in your fridge from 10 minutes to overnight (the longer they sit, the more moisture will be released). This not only seasons them, but will draw out a ton of surface moisture.

Before you're ready to start cooking, pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. Expelling as much moisture as possible will help to create that signature, golden-brown crust on the outside.

Remove the Abductor Muscle

Before cooking the scallops, you'll also want to remove the crescent-shaped muscle along the side of the scallop (some may not have one as this muscle is sometimes shaken loose during handling and transportation). Gently peel it away without tearing the scallop. It's not harmful to eat the muscle, it just tends to be a little bit chewier than the scallop itself, so most cooks prefer to remove it. I usually save one to check if my oil is hot enough to sear the scallops.

To Toss or Not To Toss

Some cooks will toss their scallops in a light dusting of flour or cornstarch before cooking. This is simply to add a little bit more crustiness to the exterior. It is not a necessary step, but some prefer to do this. You could try a few scallops dredged in a light coating and leave a few alone to see which you prefer.

Prepare a Skillet

Next you'll want to heat a skillet and oil over medium-high heat. While you can use a metal or cast-iron skillet for searing scallops, a good non-stick is preferable — just so you don't have to worry about any stickage issues. A neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point (such as canola or vegetable) is ideal for this because you want to get the oil super hot for a nice sear. If you try to sear the scallops in butter, the milk solids in the butter will burn before the scallop can get a nice crust. The pan should have enough oil that the entire bottom is covered. That said, we're not shallow frying here, so there shouldn't be so much oil that it comes up on the sides of the scallop.

Sear the Scallops

Your oil should be shimmering and smoking before you ever add a scallop to the pan. Test it by adding in one of the abductor muscles that you removed. If the oil bubbles vigorously, it's hot enough. Gently add the scallops to your pan (making sure there is a bit of space in between them to avoid crowding) and let them cook, completely undisturbed for at least 2 minutes over medium-high heat. The more that you move them around, the more difficult it will be to create a nice crust around the bottom. Once the bottoms are a deep golden brown, use tongs to give them a flip and cook the other side for no more than 30 seconds. Keep in mind, there is going to be a lot of oil splattering around your stove. Unfortunately, this is an inevitable truth when it comes to searing scallops. Keep a kitchen towel nearby to wipe up the oil from your counter. Once seared, remove the scallops to a paper towel-lined plate.

Make a Sauce

From here, you can keep it simple by adding butter to the residually warm pan, and then add the scallops back in (I'll speak more to that below) and baste with that melted butter. You can zhuzh up the butter by cooking it until it's nutty and brown and adding in some crushed garlic cloves, sprigs of rosemary, thyme or sage, or chili flakes. You can make a pan sauce with shallots, vinegar, aromatics (such as garlic, herbs, and lemon zest/juice), white wine, butter, and cream. Butter-based sauces are great for scallops as they amp up the inherently rich flavor of the scallop and they can be made in the same pan that the scallops were cooked in. If the scallops left behind some fond, that's totally fine to incorporate into the sauce.

Baste and Serve

Add the scallops back into the pan over low heat, tilt the pan slightly and use a large spoon to baste the scallops with your buttery sauce. This is warming the scallops back up and injecting them with a ton of flavor. Like any seafood dish, a nice squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper is a great way to finish 'em off.

Serve them over risotto, polenta, a green salad, noodles, or however you fancy scallops. See? I told you that I take this stuff seriously. But more importantly, it's fun. And delicious. Happy searing!