Seared scallops with garlic butter soy sauce, paired with a summery white wine, is a wonderfully versatile seafood dish that highlights a simple summer BBQ or an elegant dinner party.
Seared Scallops are easy and quick to prepare and they look beautiful when you present them delicately on a plate. These elegant Pan Seared Scallops with Garlic Butter Soy Sauce can be an appetizer, main dish, or one of your side dishes. Paired with a fun white wine, you have a match made in heaven. Read on below to find suggested rose and white wines to serve with pan seared scallops.
Three Delicious Japanese Sauces for Seared Scallops
1. Garlic Butter Soy Sauce: It’s a garlic butter sauce with a Japanese twist by adding in soy sauce. Combining butter and soy sauce is always a popular combination in Japan, so I hope you give it a try with these seared scallops.
2. Spicy Mayo Sauce: Japanese love seafood with mayo! For this sauce, I spiced up the mayo to add some kick. Spicy mayo is very easy to make, just add Sriracha sauce to mayonnaise – find my recipe here.
3. Unagi sauce: This thick soy sauce is my children’s favorite because it’s sweet. I used a bottled unagi sauce this time (as you only need a few dollops), but you can make homemade unagi sauce using my recipe here. The sweetness of the sauce adds a nice touch to seared scallops.
There are so many options with seared scallops from the cooking method, to the scallop sauce, to the wine served alongside this wonderful seafood dish. My seared scallop recipe is very detailed, including instructions to
Seared Scallops with Wine
During the warm months, we enjoy drinking rose and fun white wines in the afternoon while watching the kids play in the backyard. Tower 15’s Sauvignon Blanc and Rose are perfect for these relaxing occasions.
The Sauvignon Blanc is Tower 15’s first release and it is simply fabulous! The texture is very creamy and easy on the palate. It’s is a very fruity wine, reminding me of fresh peach juice with a hint of tartness and spice. We have paired this wine with three styles of seared scallops and they all worked very well together. Beside the Sauvignon Blanc, we shared the “Sunset Rose” a few days ago with a group of friends at a Chinese restaurant and everyone enjoyed it. The crisp chilled Rose filled with summer fruit flavors complemented the salty Chinese food. If you are looking to bring a fun bottle of wine to a party in the summer, I would recommend the Rose for an afternoon BBQ and the Sauvignon Blanc for a sit down dinner in the backyard.
Please note: We received no compensation for this review. We received Tower 15’s 2012 Sauvignon Blanc and Sunset Rose from Jarvis Communications free of charge to use in exchange for an honest review.
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Seared Scallops
Ingredients
- 1 lb sea scallops (I used graded U8 scallops; U8 means there are 8 of this size scallops in a pound)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp clarified butter
- ¼ cup yuzu-flavored tobiko (flying fish roe) (for garnish; regular tobiko can be found in aJapanese grocery store)
- chives (or parsley, I used Japanese herb kinome, young leaf of prickly ash)
For Brining (Optional)
- ¼ cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ cup water (boiling)
- 2 cups water (cold)
For Sauce
- 1-1 ½ Tbsp salted butter
- 1 clove garlic (2 tsp, minced)
- ¼ cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Instructions
Before You Start
- Make clarified butter (see my tutorial). Clarified butter does not burn as easily as regular butter so it’s the best choice for searing scallops beautifully.
To Brine Scallops
- The reason why we brine scallops is for adding a flavor and removing the chemical taste. Combine the salt with the boiling water in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve the salt. Then add cold water.
- Add the scallops to the brine and let stand for 10 minutes (no longer, or the scallops become too salty). Drain the scallops.
- Rinse under cold water and gently pat dry with the paper towels. Sprinkle the scallops lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To Sear Scallops
- Heat the clarified butter in a large stainless steel frying pan over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke. You can create a more beautiful caramelized exterior using stainless steel pan than a non-stick pan. If you use regular butter (instead of the clarified butter), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallops in a single layer, leaving enough space between each scallop (If necessary, cook in 2 pans or in 2 batches). To prevent oil splatter, you can use this oil splatter guard.
- Cook without moving the scallops, until the bottoms are nicely browned and release on their own, about 3 to 3 ½ minutes. Turn each scallop gently and put it in a different part of the pan so the surface is hotter and gives the best sear. Cook the other side for another 3 to 3 ½ minutes.
- Transfer the scallops to a wire rack to drain excess oil while you prepare the sauce.
- For the pan sauce, heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the wine, stirring constantly, and cook about 3 minutes, until alcohol is evaporated and the sauce becomes thick.
- Lastly add the soy sauce and mix all together. Remove the pan from heat and spoon the pan sauce over the scallops or serve in a separate bowl.
Hi Nami! I love your recipes and easy to follow instructions. I was wondering if I could use a seasoned cast-iron pan to sear the scallops instead of a stainless steel pan?
Hi Lori! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Yes, you can use the cast iron pan. However, the heat distribution is a bit different. So please adjust the cooking time as need it.😉
Hi Nami, can I substitute sake or beer instead of the white wine for the sauce?
I chanced upon your recipe as I was looking for ways to cook scallops. I wanted to cook this for christmas lunch later 🙂
Hi Maine,
Thank you for trying this recipe!
If you don’t have white wine, you may substitute it with Sake.
We hope this helps!
[…] The beauty of misozuke is you could simply enjoy the pickled foods with steamed rice. The miso pickled radishes and carrots are perfect for anyone who follows a vegetarian or vegan diet. You’ll love it with this Vegan Miso Soup. Otherwise, you can serve it alongside with another protein dish such as Saba Shioyaki (Grilled Mackerel) or Seared Scallops. […]
[…] use Clarified Butter for Seared Scallops […]
WHERE IS THE TOBIKO USED IN THIS RECIPE? GARNISH? THANK YOU.
Hi Ann! Yes, it’s used for garnish. Thank you for pointing that out. I have edited the recipe. 🙂
I wasn’t able to sear them well, probably because my spatula was too soft and could not lift the scallops off cleaning. But I just made my first scallop dish and it was wonderful to be able to have that dish right at home with my family. Can’t thank you enough for the recipe.
Hi Meng! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thank you very much for your feedback. I’m not sure if you read the note section, but did you use stainless steel pan? It helps to nicely brown the scallops. 🙂 Scallops release from the pan on their own once it’s cooked, so it’s better not to touch them when they are being cooked. 🙂 Thank you once again for trying this recipe!
Hi… may i know how to make the first sauce (garlic butter soy sauce)?? I love scallop, but never tried to cook one yet, so i will give it a try..
Thanks
Hi Devie! The sauce recipe is already in the recipe. 🙂 Hope you enjoy this dish!
Hi Nami,
I love scallops! Did you purchase your scallops fresh or from the freezer section? Also, where can I find clarified butter?
All my pans are non-stick..time for me to go purchase a stainless steel pan. =)
Hi Candice! I bought fresh scallops from the fishmonger. You make clarified butter using unsalted butter (link is in the recipe). It’s nice to have one stainless steel pan as you are supposed to use medium to medium high heat only for non-stick pan. 🙂
I’ve always wanted to make seared scallops but heard they were really difficult to sear. After seeing this recipe though, I’ll definitely give it a try!
Hi Rachel! The key is to use clarified butter (so that butter will not burn on high heat) and stainless steel pan. Follow the instructions closely, and you will have a nice sear on the scallops! 🙂 Good luck and enjoy!
Your recipe is the closest to the ones that we had at a restaurant that closed down several years ago. I can’t wait to try the different sauces, too! Yum!
Thank you Donna! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Your scallops look absolutely amazing! I’ve been on a learning curve with my stainless steel pan (and so when I’m lazy, I just use non-stick), but the promise of the golden-brown sear makes me want to keep trying. Thanks for all of the tips that you included with this recipe — they’re so very helpful!
Hi Kimmi! Thank you so much for the comment! The clarified butter won’t burn like regular butter when it’s cooked on higher heat, so you will get the nice sear! Also, not touching/turning the scallop until it’s brown helps. After the bottom is cooked and brown, you can easily turn (sometimes it sticks a little but not like completely stick to the pan). I too get worried when I use stainless steel pan, but you will get used to letting it cook until it’s ready after several trial (and believe that it’s going to work!). Hope you can get a nice golden brown sear! 🙂