Our 24 Favorite Scallop Recipes
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Scallops are wonderfully versatile — we think they're equally delicious whether they're perfectly seared in butter or thinly sliced in a carpaccio. From crispy fritters to fragrant soups, here are the best recipes for fresh, tender scallops.
Seared Scallops with Pomegranate and Meyer Lemon
At Bavel in Los Angeles, chef Ori Menashe serves shallow bowls of scallop aguachile, and diners can't get enough. Our riff on his raw dish sends scallops to the skillet for a quick sear before serving them with pomegranate arils, cucumbers, orange segments, and lemon segments.
Sancerre-Poached Scallops with Soft Grits
F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple uses white wine — Sancerre especially — to delicately poach scallops. If you don't have Sancerre, any Sauvignon Blanc is delicious.
Scallop Grenobloise
Grenobloise means in the style of the southeastern French city of Grenoble and refers to a classic French sauce of lemon and capers. Here, beautifully seared scallops with a golden crust are served in a sauce popping with acidity from lemon, brininess from capers, and slight warmth from mildly piquant jalapeños.
Scallop Ceviche with Aguachile
This simple ceviche combines aguachile — a vibrant sauce made from fresh chiles, herbs, and cucumbers — with thinly sliced scallops that have been just cured in fresh lime juice.
Seared Scallops with Bacon-Braised Chard
"When you learn how to cook scallops with a crisp golden crust, they're just so good," says Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard. To help brown the scallops, she adds butter to the pan halfway through cooking. The butter and bacon that flavor the colorful chard make the dish nicely rich, a quality balanced by a fruity, slightly acidic Gewürztraminer.
Asparagus with Scallops, Browned Butter, and Prosciutto
Choose either white or green asparagus for this dish. Use the same pan to fry the prosciutto and brown the scallops; the buttery residual juices make a flavorful foundation for the rich, lemony glaze that gets spooned onto the plate.
Scallop Rosettes with Avocado and Creamed Tandoori Chayote
For this delicious recipe, chef Daniel Boulud features scallops formed into a rosette, then served with spiced chayote and tangy avocado sauce.
Shrimp Stew with Scallops and Masa Dumplings (Chilpachole de Camarón con Callo de Hacha y Chochoyotes)
This seafood stew from the Gulf state of Veracruz in Mexico is rich with shrimp, charred tomatoes, and smoky chipotle chiles. The addition of chochoyotes, or chewy masa dumplings, rounds out this version topped with golden-browned scallops.
Seared Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce
Hugh Acheson flavors shallots with butter and Pinot Gris to create a sauce for scallops: "Pinot Gris loves shellfish," says the 2002 F&W Best New Chef.
Scallop Fritters
These light, crisp fritters include bits of chopped scallops in a batter made with clam broth and pilsner.
Scallop and Mushroom Soup with Ginger and Leeks
This flavorful soup from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten comes together in just 30 minutes. To make it, the vegetables are quickly sautéed in butter before coming to a boil with chicken stock. Warm the scallops in the oven right in their serving bowls, then top with the soup and garnish with cilantro.
Scallop and Corn Bacon Burgers with Spicy Mayo
Scallops make incredibly juicy burgers despite their low fat content; corn adds a bit of sweetness and crunch. To keep the burgers moist, don't overcook them — there should be a thin layer of barely cooked scallop at the center.
Dashi-Poached Scallop Salad with Wasabi Dressing
Chef David Myers serves raw diver scallops with yuzu, fresh wasabi, and dashi gelée. Home cooks can poach thinly sliced scallops in an easy dashi broth, a Japanese stock made with bonito (tuna) flakes and seaweed. Dressed with lemon juice and wasabi and topped with greens, the poached scallops become a satisfying first course.
Scallops in Yellow Curry with Spicy Grapefruit Salad
This crowd-pleasing dish from chef Andrea Reusing of sweet sea scallops with a rich curry sauce and refreshing mint-grapefruit salad is so flavorful, it seems like hours of work went into it. In reality, the from-scratch curry sauce is ready in under an hour and can be made in advance.
Scallops with Brussels Sprouts
© Amy Sims
Chef Stuart Brioza has a brilliant way of preparing brussels sprouts: Rather than cook them whole, he thinly slices them, then sautés them with pancetta, shallot, and garlic until they're shredded and soft.
Scallops with Potato Pancakes and Caviar Sauce
Chef Vinny Dotolo found inspiration for this elegant dish by thinking about New Year's Eve classics. Both Champagne and caviar flavor the butter sauce that he spoons over seared scallops set on mini potato pancakes.
Scallops with Snow Peas, Cauliflower, and Peanut Panade
In this recipe, chef Grant Achatz tops seared scallops with a peanut butter panade that's thickened with breadcrumbs to form a paste. He drizzles on a curry vinaigrette for a final, fragrant touch. It's an unexpected and delicious combination.
Shrimp and Bay-Scallop Risotto with Mushrooms
Fresh and dried mushrooms give this risotto a double dose of earthy flavor. You can use twice the shrimp and no scallops, or the reverse. If you prefer sea scallops, quarter them.
Cilantro Scallops
Chef Marcela Valladolid tosses scallops in a spicy, vibrant combination of garlic, lime, soy, and crushed red pepper before quickly grilling them.
Scallop Carpaccio with Hand-Cut Ginger-Chive Pesto
Sliced thinly and marinated, raw scallops are delicious in ceviches, crudos, and carpaccios like this one. To add texture to the dish, we top it with crunchy flakes of sea salt and crisp radish slices, yielding four servings in 25 minutes.
Spicy Scallops with Capellini
These simple and delicious scallops are based on the Chilean pil-pil sauce and ready in 30 minutes. Dried hot red chiles are mandatory, as are garlic and olive oil; the sauce invariably accompanies seafood.
Crab Pithivier with Scallop Frangipane
Perfect for a dinner party or any sort of special occasion, this stunning dish from chef Angie Mar is a project that's well worth your time. The crab and scallops lend a delicate sweetness, and the sherry sauce brings nuttiness and brightness. Almond flour is essential, as it holds the filling together and gives it texture.
Seared Scallop Stew with Winter Vegetables
Star chef Corey Lee's rustic French farmhouse stew is packed with hearty winter vegetables and topped with gorgeous pan-seared scallops.
Seared Scallops with Basil, Anchovy, and Sweet Corn Pudding
The quality of the seafood is key in this lemony, piquant dish. Chef April Bloomfield recommends seeking out day-boat scallops if possible, caught by fishermen who return from a day at sea with supremely fresh scallops that haven't been treated with any kind of preservative. Instead of being milky white, they're almost coral-colored.
