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Creamy Garlic Scallops

By Karina Carrel

4.99 from 69 votes

on Feb 14, 2019

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Creamy Garlic Scallops are just as good as restaurant scallops with minimal ingredients and maximum flavour!

A silky, creamy garlic sauce with a hint of lemon coats crispy, buttery scallops! With only a handful of ingredients, you’re minutes away from having the most incredible Creamy Garlic Scallops on your dinner table! People will think there’s a hidden chef in your kitchen!

SCALLOPS

You have all been writing in to tell us how much you have been loving these Seared Garlic Butter Scallops that I HAD to try them in a creamy sauce! You guys are going to LOVE this low carb creamy garlic scallops recipe!

HOW TO COOK SCALLOPS

This scallop recipe is just as easy as the original, with a creamy sauce consisting of 5 ingredients. FIVE!

Butter — unsalted is the best option which allows you to better adjust your seasonings.Garlic — minced or finely diced. Use fresh if you can.White wine — completely optional! You can use broth (or stock) as a substitute or leave it out all together!Lemon juice — I only use 1 tablespoon in this recipe as I find it’s just enough in a creamy sauce like this one.Cream — use heavy cream, thickened cream or evaporated milk.

Understanding how quickly scallops cook means you’ll never be intimidated again! They only take four to five minutes to cook — that’s it! You’ll have no chance of messing them up from now on. Guaranteed.

Heat an oiled skillet or pan until it’s sizzling. Key step right here. You want them to sizzle and crisp to a golden colour on the outside.
The first scallop should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil. If it doesn’t, wait and let the pan continue heating before adding any more.
Use a large pan to avoid over crowding, or cook in batches to make sure they are at least 1-inch apart.
Sear them without moving them for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Done!

Then go straight into making your sauce. Creamy garlic scallops in minutes!

A fork pierced into a piece of Creamy Garlic Scallops

SCALLOPS
HOW TO COOK SCALLOPS
HOW DO YOU MAKE CREAMY GARLIC SCALLOPS?

HOW TO PREPARE SCALLOPS
HOW TO THAW SCALLOPS

SIDES TO GO WITH SCALLOPS

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WATCH US MAKE CREAMY SCALLOPS ON VIDEO

Creamy Garlic Scallops Recipe

HOW DO YOU MAKE CREAMY GARLIC SCALLOPS?

Melt butter in the same pan as the scallops, scraping up any delicious browned bits. This is where the flavour is!Add garlic, minced or crushed.Pour in a good quality dry white wine, like Sauv Blanc or Pinot Grigio and let reduce to half.Add cream.Simmer.Stir in lemon juice off the heat and add the scallops back into the pan to serve.

Serve your creamy garlic scallops with as much sauce as you want! There’s an abundance here.

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Top view image of Creamy Garlic Scallops

HOW TO PREPARE SCALLOPS

Try to find scallops without the bright orange or coral coloured crescent-shaped part still attached (or roe). The orange part can be a little bitter, however some people do like this part of the scallop. It’s personal preference.

If you can only find them with the roe attached, you can pull it off and discard it. If you have bought whole scallops, you will need to remove that and the muscle that attaches the scallop to the shell. For this reason, we buy frozen wild caught scallops without the roe.

HOW TO THAW SCALLOPS

Thaw scallops in a bowl of cold water for about 10-20 minutes until thawed completely, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Make sure to thoroughly pat them dry with paper towel to absorb all the liquid before searing.

11 pieces of Creamy Garlic Scallops in a pan

SIDES TO GO WITH SCALLOPS

Creamy Garlic Scallops are perfect served with carb sides such as:

Rice
Pasta
Mashed potatoes
Scalloped potatoes
Garlic bread to mop up the sauce!

LOW CARB OPTIONS:

Zucchini noodles
Cauliflower rice
Buttery Mashed Cauliflower

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SaveSaved Pin Print 4.99 from 69 votes

Creamy Garlic Scallops

By Karina Carrel Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 people Creamy Garlic Scallops are just as good as restaurant scallops with minimal ingredients and maximum flavour! A silky, creamy garlic sauce with a hint of lemon, coats crispy, buttery scallops! With only a handful of ingredients, you're minutes away from having the most incredible scallops on your dinner table! Save this recipe!Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!Email *Save

Ingredients USMetric 1x2x3x

▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 1/4 pounds scallops
▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
▢ 4-5 cloves garlic large, minced, or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
▢ 1 pinch salt to taste
▢ 1 pinch cracked pepper to taste
▢ 1/4 cup dry white wine or broth – optional
▢ 1 cup heavy cream light, full fat or thickened cream. For a lower fat option, use evaporated milk
▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
▢ 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

If scallops are frozen, thaw in cold water. Remove the side muscle from the scallops if attached. Thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot and sizzling. Add the scallops in a single layer without over crowding the pan (work in batches if needed).
Season with salt and pepper to taste and fry for 2-3 minutes on one side (until a golden crust forms underneath), then flip and fry again for 2 minutes until crisp, lightly browned and cooked through (opaque). Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits left over from the scallops. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute).
Pour in wine (or broth) and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes or until wine reduces by about half. Add cream and allow to simmer until slightly thickened.
Remove pan (skillet) from the heat; stir in lemon juice and add the scallops back into the pan to warm through slightly and garnish with parsley.
Serve over rice, pasta, garlic bread or steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini noodles).

Notes

Tip: Make sure your scallops are completely dry before searing to ensure they brown nicely.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Karina eating butter chicken from a gold fork out of a bowl with a nann bread on the side.

Hey Good Food Lovers! It’s nice to see you! My name is Karina. Welcome to Cafe Delites, my beloved space for the last 10 years where my passion for food has flourished and connected millions!

Read more about me 4.99 from 69 votes (1 rating without comment)

103 Comments

What can you do with leftover sauce?
Reply
1. Hi Tara, pour it on top of your favorite serving side like pasta or rice and enjoy! Xx
  Reply
Absolutely delish!!! Our go to recipe for scallops and pasta!
Reply
1. Caitlyn, I’m so glad this has become your go-to for scallops and pasta! Love hearing that. Xx
  Reply

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Karina sitting on island bench wearing a black dress

Hey Good Food Lovers! It’s nice to see you! My name is Karina. Welcome to Cafe Delites, my beloved space for the last 10 years where my passion for food has flourished and connected millions!