Pan-Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce is an elegant and flavorful dish that highlights the delicate sweetness of scallops with a tangy and zesty sauce.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Caper Sauce:
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup (74 grams) white wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 and 1/2 Tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons(28 grams) lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the Seared Scallops:
1 pound sea scallops, patted dry
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the Lemon Caper Sauce:
Melt butter in a large skillet. Continue cooking, over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter becomes a deep golden brown color.
Add in the garlic, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, and lemon zest and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Pour in the white wine and sugar and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes, then toss in the capers and cook for another 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Taste and add more salt/pepper/or sugar, to taste. Set aside until needed.
For the Seared Scallops:
Remove the tiny side muscle from the scallops (if they have the). Rinse scallops with cold water and pat dry with a few sheets of paper towels. You want to make sure you get as much moisture out of them as possible. Set aside on a paper towel.
Add the butter and oil to a large sauté pan over high heat.
While the pan heats up, generously salt and pepper the scallops.
Once the pan begins to lightly smoke, gently add the scallops into the pan, making sure they are not touching.
Sear scallops for 1 and 1/2 minutes then gently flip and cook for another 1 and 1/2 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown. Don’t touch them at all while they’re searing.
Top with sauce and serve at once!
COOK & PREP TIME 30 minutes total