Pan-fried to perfection, these quick Butter Soy Sauce Scallops are so sweet and juicy. It‘s one of the dishes we serve in Osechi Ryori, or traditional Japanese New Year foods. Other times of the year, it‘s a crowd-pleasing appetizer that you can make with just 4 ingredients.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time10 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: butter, scallop
Servings: 4(as appetizer)
Calories: 77kcal
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Ingredients
8ozboiled baby scallop(found in the refrigerated section of the Japanese grocery store)
⅛tspfreshly ground black pepper
2Tbspunsalted butter(divided; for searing and for the sauce)
Before You Start: If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, you can cook it up to a day before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.
Gather all the ingredients.
Season 8 oz boiled baby scallop with ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and let it melt. Then, add the scallops to the pan.
Sear one side of the scallops, then flip to sear the other side. The key is to sear quickly, as these boiled scallops are already pre-cooked.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and swirl the pan to let it melt.
Finally, add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and coat the scallops with the pan sauce.
To Serve
When the scallops are well coated with the sauce, transfer them to a plate and serve warm as an appetizer. If you‘re serving it as part of your Osechi (traditional Japanese New Year foods) menu, let them cool before packing in the jubako box.
To Store
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and keep them for 2 days in the refrigerator or for up to a month in the freezer.