Creamy Garlic Scallops

4.61 from 38 votes
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Creamy Garlic Scallops - easy, creamy and one of the best scallop recipes ever. Takes only 15 mins, better than restaurants and much cheaper!

Easy and quick creamy garlic scallops in a skillet, ready to serve.
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Scallops

Scallops are my favorite seafood. I just love the tender texture and the briny sweet taste. After all the holiday feasting with a big turkey, stuffing and side dishes, I am craving scallop recipes.


This Is One Of The Best Scallop Recipes

Scallops in creamy garlic sauce.

Scallops are extremely expensive if you eat out at the restaurants, so it’s always cheaper to make them at home.

These creamy garlic scallops are very easy to prepare. The recipe calls for the following ingredients:

  • Natural scallops that are milky in color, opaque and soft (not slippery) to the touch.
  • Salt and ground black pepper
  • Butter and olive oil to pan sear the scallops
  • Garlic
  • Heavy whipping cream to make the creamy and rich sauce.

The end result was so good that I gobbled everything up myself.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This scallop recipe is only 242 calories per serving.

Creamy garlic scallops skillet close up.

What To Serve With Creamy Garlic Scallops

Easy sauteed scallops in rich and creamy lemon garlic sauce.

This meal is best served with a pasta or rice, for example:Parmesan garlic noodles or easy spaghetti. If you want a lighter dish without cream sauce, try my garlic scallops recipe!

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for new updates.


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4.61 from 38 votes

Creamy Garlic Scallops

Creamy Garlic Scallops – easy, creamy and one of the best scallop recipes ever. Takes only 15 mins, better than restaurants and much cheaper!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1 lb (500g) jumbo natural scallops
  • salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons white wine or Japanese cooking sake, optional
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 slice lemon wedges, quartered, for garnishing, optional

Instructions 

  • Rinse the scallops, pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and black pepper.
  • Heat up a skillet with olive oil and butter. Pan-sear the scallops on both sides until nicely browned, but don't overcook them. Remove and set aside.
  • On the same skillet, add the garlic and saute. Add a little bit of olive oil if you want. Add the cream, water, wine, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring it to a gentle simmer until the sauce thickens a bit.
  • Add the scallops back into the skillet, add the chopped parsley leaves and lemon wedges, turn off heat and serve immediately.

Notes

Buy only natural scallops (untreated with water) for this recipe. Natural scallops are creamy in color, opaque, not transparent looking,and slippery when touched. You can get natural scallops at Whole Foods or Costco, or seafood stores.

Nutrition

Serving: 3people, Calories: 242kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 599mg, Potassium: 343mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 379IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Bee Yinn Low

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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Recipe Rating





36 Comments

  1. Kristin says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is everything. Simple, quick, and tastes like a restaraunt dish. It’s DElicious!!! Thank you so much for sharing.

  2. jessica says:

    5 stars
    Hi,great blog you have! i love the recipes you share,please allow me say thank you firstly. then i wanna know if you need a sponsor, we could pay you or send you kitchen appliance.please let me know if you are interested in it. thanks again.:)

  3. Darlene says:

    Hello! What kind of white wine would you recommend? Thanks!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Any white wine you like is fine. :)

      1. Laura says:

        I wouldn’t be interested to know what type of wine you used also. The sauce will definitely turn out differently depending on whether you use a sweet wine like a Riesling or a dry wine like Pinot Grigio. Thanks!

  4. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    I only only leave comments if something was really amazing and this was really amazing!! My scallops came out perfectly cooked and scallops are one of my favorite types of seafood. But that sauce Omg!!! I made a kinda surf and turf dinner with these scallops and a pork loin and sauteed mushrooms. I found my self not only dipping the scallops in the sauce but also the pork and mushrooms. Well done what a great recipe!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Thanks Jessica. So happy that you love my creamy garlic scallops recipe. I love the surf and turf idea with mushroom. I will make to try it out! :)

  5. Shelby says:

    5 stars
    Tried this at home and the boyfriend loves it! Definitely a favorite in this household especially when paired with my cajun quinoa. You’re amazing!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Yum! So glad you love this creamy garlic scallops recipe. :)

  6. Angela says:

    I just made this tonight and it was delicious, my husband is not a fan of cream type sauces but he devoured it.. said it was awesome… thank you for the recipe will definitely make again.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Angela, thanks for your sweet comment. Yes, this creamy garlic scallop is so delicious. The cream sauce is very light unless most recipes which are usually too rich!! :)

  7. Anu says:

    Hey! I was wondering, could i use greek yoghurt in place of the cream?

  8. Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says:

    Scallops are one of my very favorites! For me, they’re like little gems – perfect little bites. I’m loving the garlicky, buttery cream sauce you’ve created. This is certainly great for a ‘date night’dinner at home.

  9. ChengduGreg says:

    Hi Bea, here in Chengdu they only have frozen scallops. Do you think they will work?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      I think you can try. Just thaw, make sure you get natural scallops.

    2. Hazel says:

      Most scallops you buy have been frozen and then defrosted for sale. I buy bags of frozen scallops all the time and they work really well in everything except, obviously, when making ceviche or anything using raw scallops. I am looking forward to trying this recipe at the weekend and I will be using frozen scallops.

  10. Kathleen says:

    Bee these scallops look amazing! I love scallops too :)

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Kathleen, thanks for your comment.