Butter-Seared Scallops with Lemon & Thyme
Restaurant-quality seared scallops in 12 minutes—perfectly golden crust, nutty brown butter, bright lemon. A weeknight showstopper that tastes fancy but requires zero technique.
- Total time
- 12 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 8 count large sea scallops, patted dry
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 count shallot, thinly sliced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 count lemon
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp fleur de sel or sea salt
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high until smoking, ~2 minutes.
- 2
Add 2 tbsp butter. When foaming subsides, lay scallops flat without crowding.
- 3
Sear scallops 90 seconds per side without moving. Golden crust should form.
- 4
Transfer scallops to a plate. Add remaining 2 tbsp butter, shallot, thyme to pan.
- 5
Pour in wine and scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Simmer 1 minute.
- 6
Squeeze half the lemon into sauce, then return scallops to pan off heat.
- 7
Plate scallops, drizzle with sauce, finish with sea salt and cracked pepper.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch stainless steel or cast iron skillet
- paper towels
- tongs or slotted spoon
- wooden spoon
- cutting board and knife
- microplane or zester (optional)
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