French · Free recipe
Seared Sea Scallops
Dry-packed sea scallops meet a smoking-hot pan and develop a deep caramel crust in under two minutes per side. A quick brown butter with thyme and a squeeze of lemon finishes them, keeping the centers sweet, barely translucent, and tender.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Total
- 21 min
- Serves
- 2
- Level
- Medium
Method
-
Peel off the small, tough side muscle from each scallop, lay them on a paper towel-lined plate, and blot the tops; refrigerate uncovered for 10 minutes to dry further.
-
Season both sides with salt and pepper right before cooking.
-
Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or stainless skillet over high heat until it ripples and wisps of smoke appear.
-
Place the scallops in the pan clockwise with space between each and do not touch them for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until a deep golden crust forms and they release easily.
-
Flip each scallop, add the butter, thyme, and garlic, and tilt the pan to baste the scallops with the foaming butter for 45 to 60 seconds, until the sides are opaque but the centers still give slightly when pressed.
-
Transfer to warm plates, squeeze the lemon into the brown butter, and spoon a little over the top.
Zest note from the test kitchen
Avoid scallops labeled wet-packed; they are soaked in a solution that makes them weep liquid in the pan, and they will steam instead of searing.
