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I love this simple recipe for Scallops in Lemon Garlic Sauce. It’s a quick and easy entrée to go with bread and a summer salad or a fancier dinner to accompany steak or seafood. Jumbo-sized Sea Scallops seared in bacon fat, then drizzled in a buttery lemon garlic sauce. So delicious.

My first taste of scallops was at Red Lobster when I snatched one from my husband’s plate. It was so buttery and wonderful, I fell in love. But it’s more of a delicacy here in Kansas where red meat prevails. I actually found some at our area Aldi grocery store. Jumbo Sea Scallops–not the small Bay Scallops often found in your grocer’s freezer section. They are a bit pricy at around $17 for 12 oz, but for a special occasion they are a lovely addition to a meal.
Ingredients for Scallops in Lemon Garlic Sauce
(See the full recipe at the bottom of this post.)
Instructions for Making This Recipe

Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Ingredients

Thaw frozen scallops in cold water. If necessary, remove the side muscle from the scallops. Pat dry with paper towels.
Peel and mince the garlic with a Chef’s knife. Using a lemon juicer, squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice from a large lemon. Place juice in a prep bowl for use later. If using fresh parsley, chop it and set aside until later.
Cook the Scallops
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with bacon fat or olive oil. I had cooked bacon just before this, so I had a nice amount of bacon fat on the counter and thought it would give the scallops a wonderful flavor. Which it did.

When the skillet is nice and hot, add the scallops, making sure not to crowd them. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground melange pepper. Allow the scallops to sear for about 2 minutes until nicely golden, then turn and cook the other side for another 2 minutes. The scallops should be opaque in color when cooked through.
I like to use melange pepper, a rainbow mix of black, pink, white, and green peppercorns when I work with sauces or dressings. It adds just a hint of extra spicy flavor to seafood.
Transfer the scallops to a plate or tray and keep warm.
Prepare the Lemon Garlic Sauce
Next, heat one tablespoon butter and extra-virgin olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, stirring until it is golden brown about 1-2 minutes. Be sure to scrape up any of the fond left in the skillet from the scallops.

Stir in the dry white wine to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it has reduced by half. Finish the sauce by adding in the freshly squeezed lemon juice, and remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir together until combined to make a silky sauce.

Add the seared scallops to the pan and spoon sauce over them. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes until heated through. Season with dried or chopped fresh parsley, kosher salt, and coarsely ground peppercorn melange.

Serve immediately. I like to serve these Jumbo Sea Scallops in small individual dishes, along with whatever else I’ve made that night, whether it’s shrimp, Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon, or just a salad. Make sure to spoon plenty of lemon garlic sauce over them, which is wonderful to soak up with a hard, crusty bread such as my Tangy Sourdough Bread, or Rustic Sourdough Baguettes. This recipe will serve 2-3 people.
Wine Suggestion: Sterling Sauvignon Blanc, or Raeburn Russian River Valley Chardonnay.
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Scallops in Lemon Garlic Sauce
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease (or olive oil)
- 12 oz jumbo sea scallops
- 2 tablespoons butter (divided)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic ((2 tablespoons))
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed )
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground melange pepper
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Thaw frozen sea scallops in cold water. If necessary, remove the side muscle from the scallops. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Peel and mince the garlic with a Chef’s knife. If using fresh parsley, chop it and set aside until later.
- Using a lemon juicer, squeeze 2 tablespoons of juice from a large lemon. Place juice in a prep bowl for use later.
Cook the Jumbo Sea Scallops
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with bacon fat or olive oil. I had cooked bacon just before this, so I had a nice amount of bacon fat on the counter and thought it would give the scallops a wonderful flavor. Which it did.
- When the skillet is nice and hot, add the jumbo scallops, making sure not to crowd them. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground melange pepper. Allow the scallops to sear for about 2 minutes until nicely golden, then turn and cook the other side for another 2 minutes. The scallops should be opaque in color when cooked through. Transfer the scallops to a plate or tray and keep warm.
Prepare the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Next, heat 1 tablespoon butter and extra-virgin olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, stirring until it is golden brown about 1-2 minutes. Be sure to scrape up any of the fond left in the skillet from the scallops.
- Stir in the dry white wine to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it has reduced by half. Finish the sauce by adding in the freshly squeezed lemon juice, and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir together until combined to make a silky sauce.
- Add the seared scallops to the pan and spoon sauce over them. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes until heated through. Season with dried or chopped fresh parsley, kosher salt, and coarsely ground peppercorn melange.
- Serve immediately. Serves 2-3.
I hope you will love this recipe as much as we do!