Spicy Scallop Scampi is an impressive dish that comes together in under 20 minutes. Seared scallops topped in a garlic, lemon, white wine, and butter sauce!
Why Make This Dish
- Cooking scallops may seem intimidating but they really couldn’t be much easier. You can have this on the table in under 20 minutes, even including chopping time.
- So elegant, and perfect for a special occasion. Scallops aren't cheap, I know, especially the large ones. But this recipe is perfect for a romantic dinner for two or other special meal.
- Did you know that eating scallops is a significantly more environmentally responsible choice than eating shrimp? At least according to the New York Times!
🥗 Ingredients
This is a very easy recipe that you can easily customize to your own tastes.
- Butter: I call for salted butter in this recipe, because I can find delicious salted butter here in France. But you can make this recipe with either salted or unsalted—just know that you will likely need to add more salt if you use unsalted butter.
- White wine: Choose a crisp, dry white wine for this dish, like a Sauvignon Blanc. Stay away from sweeter white wines, and also away from big oaky Chardonnays. Doesn’t have to be top quality, but it should be something you'd like to drink. If you want avoid wine, you can make this sauce without it, as in my Shrimp Scampi No Wine recipe.
- Garlic: I went pretty heavy on the garlic, because I love it. If you don’t, feel free to dial back the amount you put in.
- Scallops: Scallops are usually classified by the number of scallops in a pound. U/10 scallops contain under 10 scallops in a pound while U/30 scallops contain under 30 scallops in a pound. For this recipe, I’d aim for large scallops, somewhere around U/15.
- Crushed Red Pepper: You can make this sauce as spicy as you like. Add the ¼ teaspoon I recommend and adjust based on your preference. Crushed red pepper can also vary in spiciness depending on brand and age of the spice, so tasting and adjusting accordingly is recommended!
🥣 Instructions
Rinse scallops, and pat off as much moisture as possible with paper towels.
Heat a skillet over medium high-high heat. Add 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter, then when the butter melts, add your scallops.
Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, until you can see the brown crust forming on the bottom. Once flipped, cook only about 1 minute on the other side until they start to brown very lightly.
Remove from pan. Scallops will continue cooking after you remove them, and overcooked scallops turn rubbery easily. Turn down the heat to medium.
Add white wine, remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Cook for 2 minutes, until you can smell the garlic, and sauce has reduced slightly.
Serve scallops with scampi sauce poured over the top. Garnish with fresh chopped chives.
Note that if you plan to serve these scallops over pasta, you may want to increase the sauce ingredients as well as adding some vegetable broth and cooking liquid from your pasta. Then toss pasta in the sauce and add scallops on top.
🧐 FAQs
Scampi are actually a type of crustacean also known as langoustines, common in the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic ocean. Early Italian immigrants to the United States could not find scampi, so substituted shrimp instead, cooking them in the traditional scampi style, with garlic, butter, and white wine. Today, in the United States, scampi refers more to this sauce than to the crustacean.
Bay scallops come from ocean bays, and are much smaller than sea scallops. They have a similar taste (some say sweeter), but because they are small, they are often served in soups or salads rather than on their own.
They are typically much less expensive than sea scallops. Sea scallops are larger than bay scallops. They are what you typically find in restaurants, served either raw in scallop crudo or seared as in this recipe.
Fresh is usually best, unless the “fresh” scallops have been sitting at the seafood counter for many days while the frozen ones were frozen very quickly after being caught. You can’t beat fresh scallops from a high-quality fish vendor, but high-quality frozen ones are honestly just fine.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
The key to this recipe is getting a good sear on your scallops. You know your pan and stove, so adjust your heat accordingly. You want the scallops to sear quickly but not burn. If you are using something like a cast-iron skillet, you should be able to get a great sear on your scallop—you can tell they are ready to flip when they release easily from the pan.
(With a nonstick skillet, you just need to use your eyes since they won’t stick to the pan at all.) And, make sure to pat dry your scallops very very well after rinsing them. The dryer the scallop, the better the sear.
If possible, try to purchase “dry” scallops—these scallops have been packed as is, with no preservatives. Other scallops are treated with a phosphate solution, which makes the scallops absorb water.
This means you’ll pay more for them because that extra water makes the scallops weigh more, and they won’t form a great crust when seared. Look for “dry” or “chemical-free” on the label, and also look at the color. Dry scallops have a creamy color to them rather than bright white.
Note that this recipe serves 2 people. To double the recipe, you’ll need to cook your scallops in two batches. Crowd the pan and you’ll get steamed instead of seared scallops, which aren’t nearly as delicious.
What should I serve with this Spicy Scallop Scampi dish?
You can serve over spaghetti, over rice, or with a big hunk of baguette to sop up the sauce. (I think you can guess my preference—I will use any excuse to make a baguette a main component in my meal.) And even better? Serve with Baguette Garlic Bread!
Besides a good carb, this scallop scampi recipe is great with some green vegetables on the side. Sautéed spinach or kale are perfect, as are broccoli, broccolini, asparagus, and green beans. Try these ideas:
- Roasted Broccoli Rabe
- Accompaniment Salad
- Kale Salad with Cranberries
- Roasted Romanesco Broccoli
- Salade de Tomates
Next, dessert. How about finishing your meal with an Almond Flour Chocolate Cake or a classic Crème Brûlée?
Other Seafood Main Courses
Do you love seafood as much as I do? You might want to also check out some of my favorite seafood recipes, like this Salmon Wellington and these Salmon Fillets with Panko Crust. Or try one of these:
If you try this scallop scampi recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Spicy Scallop Scampi
Ingredients
- 1 pound large sea scallops, tough muscles removed (450g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 tablespoons salted butter divided
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse scallops, and pat off as much moisture as possible with paper towels. This will help ensure you get a great sear on your scallops.
- Heat a skillet over medium high-high heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, then when the butter melts, add your scallops.
- Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, until you can see the brown crust forming on the bottom. If you are using something like a cast-iron skillet, you should be able to get a great sear on your scallop—you can tell they are ready to flip when they release easily from the pan. (With a nonstick skillet, you just need to use your eyes since they won’t stick to the pan at all.)
- Once flipped, cook only about 1 minute on the other side until they start to brown very lightly. Remove from pan. Scallops will continue cooking after you remove them, and overcooked scallops turn rubbery easily.
- Turn down the heat to medium.
- Add white wine, remaining 4 tablespoons butter, minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, until you can smell the garlic, and sauce has reduced slightly.
- Serve scallops with scampi sauce poured over the top.
- Garnish with fresh chopped chives.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Reston Skip says
You indicate a cast iron pan will give a good sear. My understanding is that cast iron pans excel where you want a really hot surface. Last time, I did scallops (which dried) on a cast iron pan, I cranked up the heat to max and used avocado oil because of its high flashpoint. Didn't burn the scallops, but also didn't get them very golden brown. Your instructions are to turn the stove up to medium-high and use butter and olive oil. Can you tell me your thoughts on this - is not-so-very-hot better, and if so, why. Thanks.
Molly Pisula says
Thanks for the question! This is a little hard because stoves and pans differ so much from house to house. I say in the instructions to put your heat on medium high-high heat (a little confusing, but what I meant is somewhere between medium-high and high). High enough to get a good sear, but not so high that the scallop burns (or won't cook through by the time it's browned on each side). For me, I have my skillet on the high end of medium high. That also allows me to use a little butter when cooking the scallops, which really adds flavor. If you prefer a cast iron skillet and want to get it really hot, your avocado oil is a good idea because otherwise the butter will burn. It's really sort of a balance between searing and flavor. Does that help? But I'm not sure why you wouldn't have gotten a really good sear with your hot cast iron pan--that's usually not a problem with those pans!
mimi rippee says
What a lovely recipe! I just wish I could get fresh scallops.
Rosemary Landy Martin says
I live on the Great South Bay, which is between Long Island and Fire Island. We get fresh, caught that day, bay scallops. Here bay scallops cost more than sea scallops. My fish monger is wonderful, everything is always very fresh.
I made this for dinner tonight. Yummy. Thanks for the recipie
Chef Molly says
So glad you enjoyed it! Love that you can get beautiful fresh scallops near you!
Chef Mimi says
Mmmmm these look fabulous! I didn’t know why they’re called bay scallops, so thanks for that! I cannot believe there’s a raclette advent calendar. I mean, that is such a fantastic idea! Raclette is my favorite thing to do during the winter months. We’ve already done it twice, and I still have a wheel and a half in the fridge! The cheese is incredible. Although, after years of purchasing various raclette, I prefer the Swiss over the French. Shhhhhh. But it’s a bit stinkier!
Chef Molly says
Ha! Any kind of raclette works for me! And scallops too of course!
Mary says
I was excited to try this recipe because I love scallops but have not had success preparing them at home. Molly’s method worked perfectly! The scallops were nicely browned but tender. I will definitely be trying this one again. Thanks, Molly!
Chef Molly says
Excellent! So glad it worked well for you. Hopefully there will be more home-cooked scallops in your future!