This easy sauce for scallops is a lemon herb butter that’s made right in the pan in about 1 minute. It makes seared scallops taste incredible!
If there’s one thing I love more than juicy, tender pan seared scallops it’s this: seared scallops with this lemon herb sauce! This recipe is full of tangy, garlicky flavor that makes scallops taste infinitely better. And that’s saying something, because seared scallops taste pretty darn amazing on their own!
Usually, I go right into making this sauce after I sear them up. It takes only 1 minute to make and it’s the perfect accompaniment.
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This recipe was awesome and real easy to make. Thank you for this recipe. Definitely will make again.” -Rona
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “THANK YOU!! Absolutely perfect and delicious.” -Jerry
Ingredients For This Sauce For Scallops
This sauce for scallops has just four ingredients that pack in major flavor. If you could combine them in a name, I’d call it Garlic Herb Lemon Butter. But since that’s a little intense, I went with just Lemon Herb Sauce. Here’s what you’ll find in this flavor-popping sauce:
- Salted butter: Salted brings the best savory flavor; you can also use unsalted and add a few pinches of salt
- Lemon juice: Use a fresh lemon only for the best flavor; lemon juice from a bottle doesn’t work here
- Garlic: Again, use only fresh garlic, not jarred garlic or garlic powder
- Herbs: I use a mix of tarragon, thyme and parsley.
The Best Herbs for Scallops
There are lots of fresh herbs that pair well with this seafood, but some are more natural choices than others. For this sauce for scallops you can use whatever fresh herbs are easiest to find. Here are my favorite herbs that pair well with scallops:
- Thyme: The delicate flavor of thyme and French-vibe make it the top fit for scallops.
- Tarragon: It’s got a subtle licorice nuance and fresh flavor. It’s harder to find, but well worth it.
- Parsley (Italian or flat leaf): The fresh bite of parsley is another natural choice.
- Chives: The delicate onion garlic flavor works well here.
- Basil: The fresh peppery flavor of basil also pairs well with scallops.
How to Make Sauce for Scallops
Here’s the basic outline of the process:
- Sear the scallops. Pat them completely dry, then cook 2 to 3 minutes per side without moving them, until deeply browned. The full tutorial for how to sear scallops is over at Pan Seared Scallops.
- Clear the pan. Remove the scallops to a plate and reduce the heat to medium. Don’t wipe out the skillet!
- Make the sauce. Melt the butter and add the lemon juice, minced garlic and chopped herbs. Scrape the bottom with a spatula to release the browned bits to incorporate those bits of scallop right into the sauce.
- Add back the scallops and serve. Then add the scallops. Spoon the sauce over the top and serve immediately.
More Sauces for Scallops
This lemon herb sauce for scallops is my go-to, but here are a few more ideas:
- Lemon butter sauce: It’s rich and great on any seafood.
- Garlic butter sauce: Similar but with even more garlicky flavor.
- White wine sauce: This adds a sophisticated edge.
- Lemon caper sauce: I love using capers for a briny and salty pop of flavor.
- Chimichurri: I love chimichurri with any seafood; it’s also great with grilled scallops.
What to Serve With Scallops
How to pair your beautifully saucy scallops to make it a complete meal? Here are a few of my favorite ideas for what to serve with scallops:
- Over pasta: Make up a pot of spaghetti, linguine, or even angel hair pasta. Season it with olive oil and salt, then add these saucy scallops on top. Or try Scallop Pasta with Lemon & Herbs.
- With salad: Some of our favorite salads for scallops feature delicate, tangy and even sweet flavors. Try Easy Arugula Salad, Fennel Orange Salad, or Blackberry Salad.
- With rice, couscous or quinoa: This lemon couscous or pesto quinoa would be great choices.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
This sauce is best right when you make it. You can prep some things ahead by mincing the garlic and chopping the herbs the night before, then storing them separately refrigerated.
Leftover scallops can store up to 2 days (though I’m not a huge fan of leftover seafood so I try to cook only what I’ll eat the day of). Scallops can also get rubbery when reheated, so make sure to reheat them very gently on the stovetop.
Dietary Notes
This sauce for scallops recipe is gluten-free and pescatarian.
Lemon Herb Sauce for Scallops
This easy sauce for scallops is a lemon herb butter that’s made right in the pan in about 1 minute. It makes seared scallops taste incredible!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 (enough for 1 pound scallops) 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 pound sea scallops, thawed if frozen
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (tarragon, thyme, parsley, etc)
Instructions
- Brine the scallops: In a shallow dish, mix together 4 cups room temperature water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Place the scallops in the water and wait for 10 minutes.
- Remove the scallops and dry thoroughly. Lightly season with a several pinches kosher salt.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. If using a medium skillet, cook the scallops in two batches. Once the oil is hot, add the scallops and cook without turning for 2 to 3 minutes, until an even brown crust clearly forms on bottom.
- Flip scallops with tongs. Cook additional 2 to 3 minutes on the other side, until a crust just forms on bottom and the center of the scallop is almost opaque.
- Remove the heat, and remove the scallops from the skillet to a plate. Let the pan cool down for 1 minute before making the sauce.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and add the butter, lemon juice, minced garlic and chopped herbs. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release flavor from any browned bits stuck to the pan. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the scallops and cover them with sauce. Then remove from the heat and serve immediately.
I just wanted to make sure, it doesn’t list scallops under the ingredients, but under the recipe title, it states that this “recipe is good for 1lb of scallops”. So, should it be 1lb of scallops under the ingredients? Thanks!!
Hi! Yes, you can follow searing instructions here https://www.acouplecooks.com/pan-seared-scallops/#tasty-recipes-74250-jump-target
Terrific. My only advice is to make sure the skillet you used to make the scallops has returned to medium heat before making the sauce as it will burn the herbs if it’s too hot.
When I was stationed in Key West in the Navy one of my favorite things was the pan seared scallops at a little hole in the wall restaurant. I have been trying to duplicate those scallops for the past 40 years! I always figured you needed dry scallops to do it right, boy was I wrong! Your recipe made it happen first time out! THANK YOU!! Absolutely perfect and delicious.
We love to hear that! Thanks for making :)
A question for you.
We are staying at a rental property that appeared to have a cast iron skillet.
They only had olive oil, no neutral oils. Seared the scallops on high heat with virgin olive oil. After 2:30 minutes I tried to turn one scallop and it stuck to the pan. I waited 30 more seconds and still had that problem.
They were cooked after 3 minutes on the other side.
Was the sticking due to the problem with the cast iron skillet…if it actually was cast iron or with using virgin olive oil versus a neutral oil?
Thanks for your advice
Hi! The pan was probably poorly seasoned. A well-seasoned cast iron pan is almost non-stick but if it is washed with soap a lot it loses that attribute. The only downside to the olive oil is that it can burn more quickly.
Sorry it didn’t work out!
Your instructions for searing scallops are missing information. You never mention using oil and what type in the pan nor the temperature the heat to cook with. Otherwise I appreciate the explanation of wet/dry scallops and how to correct wet ones. I never knew about that.
You can find the full instructions here: https://www.acouplecooks.com/pan-seared-scallops/
I also struggled with the temperatures for searing the scallops and again for the sauce. I thinks my scallops pan should have been hotter so that it took less time to sear and brown without over cooking the centers. Ovens definitely vary but I’d try a 6 out of 10 next time. Then my butter for the sauce went into the pan but it was still too hot and it burned right away. The meal was okay, but my pasta was brown. Regardless, having learned from these mistakes it will be way better next time.
This looks fabulous. I’ll be making this for my son’s birthday.
This recipe was awesome and real easy to make. Thank you for this recipe. Just needed a little extra butter for the sauce. Definitely will make again.