Pan-seared scallops coated in a creamy lemon and herb sauce is absolute perfection. These decadent scallops take just 20 minutes to make and can be served as a starter or over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta for a meal.
Nothing feels as elegant and special as a meal consisting of large, perfectly seared scallops. It’s no wonder you often find them listed on the menus of elegant restaurants. They just ooze luxury.
As much as we love ordering buttery, soft scallops anytime we see them on a menu, we also love making them at home. They are surprisingly easy to make and you can enjoy a lot more for a fraction of the cost too.
The melt-in-your-mouth scallops I served up today are not just delicious on their own but they are swimming in a deliciously herby cream sauce to make a meal that is sure to impress your dinner guest. So good.
I love serving Creamy Lemon Herb Scallops on special date nights, particularly for Valentine’s Day or an anniversary dinner. I mean, this is exactly how you impress your loved one!
They are wonderful served as a starter with lots of crusty bread to soak up that extra sauce or served over rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta for a decadent meal.
Ingredients in Creamy Lemon Herb Scallops
- Scallops: large sized. I used U15 count scallops.
- Grape seed oil: or a similar mild-flavored cooking oil to cook the scallops in.
- Butter: you can use salted or unsalted butter for this.
- Seasoning: salt and pepper.
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese: grated.
- Lemon: a teaspoon of lemon juice. I like to slice some lemon wedges as well to keep on the side so diners can add more juice if desired.
- Herbs: a tablespoon each fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary. You can opt to use just 1 herb if you prefer.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Creamy Lemon Herb Scallops
1. Cook the scallops. For the seared scallops, salt and pepper the scallops on both sides. You will need to cook the scallops in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook on each side for about 2 minutes. (Depending on your scallop size, you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly. I used U15 count scallops). Remove scallops and set aside.
2. Make the sauce. Discard oil and clean pan. Using the cleaned pan, melt the butter over medium heat pan and let it melt. Add the heavy cream and allow it to simmer and thicken slightly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and let it simmer over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat. Whisk the lemon juice into the sauce and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Combine the scallops and sauce. Add the scallops back into the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs and serve over rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or with crusty bread.
What to serve with Creamy Lemon Herb Scallops
As mentioned above, this dish can be served as an appetizer with crusty bread to soak up the sauce. We love making these creamy scallops the main dish, though by serving them over whipped Potatoes, rice, or pasta.
Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! Bon appetit!
You may also like date night meal ideas:
Parmesan Risotto
Pork Tenderloin with Apples & Onions
Almond Crusted Salmon
Looking for more scallop recipes? Check out:
Healthy Corn and Red Pepper Salad with Seared Scallops
Pumpkin Penne with Seared Scallops
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Creamy Lemon Herb Scallops
Ingredients
- 680 g scallops large size, patted dry (I used U15 count scallops)
- 4 tablespoon grape seed oil divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons herbs chopped (1 tablespoon each basil, thyme, and rosemary)
Instructions
- For the seared scallops, salt and pepper the scallops on both sides. You will need to cook the scallops in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook on each side for about 2 minutes. (Depending on your scallop size, you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly. I used U15 count scallops). Remove scallops and set aside.
- Discard oil and clean pan. Using the cleaned pan, melt the butter over medium heat pan and let it melt. Add the heavy cream and allow it to simmer and thicken slightly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and let it simmer over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes, whisking often. Remove from heat. Whisk the lemon juice into the sauce and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the scallops back into the pan and toss to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle with the fresh herbs and serve over rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, or with crusty bread.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
