Cast Iron Scallops are the perfect easy-but-impressive restaurant-quality food to cook at home. Ready in minutes, pan fried scallops are seared then finished with melted butter and burst of zesty fresh lemon juice.
1Lemon - ½ juiced, the rest cut into lemon wedges for serving.
Instructions
Heat a large cast iron or non stick skillet over a medium-high heat. You are looking for a nice sear on the scallops so the pan has to be smoking hot.
Season the scallops well with sea salt and pepper while the pan heats.
Heat the olive oil in the skillet and then place scallops carefully one by one in a single layer.
Cook for 1-2 minutes on the first side without moving (note that smaller bay scallops will cook quicker than larger sea scallops). You are aiming for a nice crust to develop while they sear.
Carefully turn each scallop and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side.
Remove the scallops to a plate and turn off the heat.
Add the butter to the pan, swirling to melt.
Stir through the lemon juice.
Serve the hot scallops with lemon wedges, pouring over the melted butter pan sauce.
Notes
Some scallops still have a small muscle attached to them. If so, remove this as sand can hide in it. Clean the scallops well and pat dry with a paper towel before searing.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be taken as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and the Family Food Kitchen can't guarantee the accuracy of this information.