Juice lemons. Spoon out capers. Heat pan. Cook scallops. Make sauce in same pan. Serve.
Ingredients
4 servings
3
12
3
2
Preparation
Step 1
Cut 2 lemons in half and squeeze juice into a measuring glass or small bowl; you should have ¼ cup juice. Set aside. Using a paring knife, cut ends off remaining lemon to expose flesh. Upend lemon on a cut end and remove peel and white pith from lemons; discard. Cut between membranes to release segments into bowl with juice; squeeze membranes to get any last drops of juice. Fish out any seeds; set aside. Thinly slice chives and place in a small bowl; set aside.
Step 2
Pull side muscle off scallops, if needed; pat dry. Season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet, preferably stainless steel, over medium-high. Pour in oil to lightly coat surface (2–3 Tbsp.); heat until it shimmers and you see first wisps of smoke. Swiftly place scallops into skillet, flat side down, and cook without touching, tossing, or fussing until underside is deep golden brown, 3–4 minutes. Use a thin spatula or tongs to gently turn over; if they resist, cook another 30 seconds and try again. Cook on second side until flesh at top and bottom looks opaque but there is still a faintly translucent strip in the middle, 1–2 minutes, depending on size. Transfer scallops to a plate.
Step 3
Pour off any oil in skillet and set over medium heat. Add butter and cook, swirling, until butter foams, then browns, about 2 minutes. Add reserved lemon juice and segments; energetically stir and swirl pan to emulsify sauce. Mix in capers and reserved chives and spoon pan sauce around and over scallops.
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Reviews (53)
Back to TopCook for 3 to 4 minutes, then another 30 seconds? Do you want to make a hockey puck?
Ken
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
10/19/2023
These were great! I like high acidity so the lemon amount was great. Served with broccolini and garlic mashed potatoes. DIVINE!
Siobhán Neely Vélez
Austin, TX
6/16/2022
Simple and fabulous! Love Carla's recipes as they are easy to follow and offer great tips!
Michelle K
Valparaiso, IN
2/25/2022
Capers are a no-no for scallops. Keep it simple... Lemon? Just a few drops; same for chives. In cooking, less is more. As Curnonsky coined: "Good cooking is when things taste of what they are." (from « Le plus grand principe de toute vraie cuisine, c'est que les choses aient le goût de ce qu'elles sont », from chef Georges Poumot- Auberge Saint Roch- Paris)
Anonymous
10463
10/9/2021
Made this as directed. It was restaurant quality. Wallstreet this when we have GG jests. Served it ona bed of linguini. Absolutely delicious!! 5 stars for sure.
D. Hickman
Richmond, Va.
9/15/2021
A bit too much lemon for my taste. Replace about half of the lemon with a splash of white wine. Good direction on searing the scallops avoiding the temptation to stir fry.
Barry L
Ottawa, Canada
9/12/2021
why are there onions in the picture but not in the recipe?
B
8/11/2021
Ridiculously good. I made it twice so far, and this time I used olives instead of capers because that's what I had. Man, it's so lovely, the sauce is sour and decadent. The scallops are fresh and pleasantly charred. The lemons! Oh the lemons. We served it with potato mash and everyone licked their plates clean.
Hyeri
California
4/23/2021
Simple recipe with the most fabulous result!! We used less lemon juice because we prefer less. Plated, topped with the brown butter sauce and capers .. looks (and tastes) like you are in a high end restaurant. We will make again and soon!
Anonymous
Orange County, CA
4/14/2021
Used only 1 lemon and added a splash of dry white wine after browning butter. Served over salad, using the sauce as dressing. Would definitely make again.
Anonymous
NY
4/3/2021
I served it with parmesan polenta and that cut down on the lemon.
Dad's Kitchen Podcast
Charleston, SC
2/3/2021
Loved it. I would add a little more butter and less lemon. I will defiantly make this again.
Anonymous
St Louis
1/28/2021
Just made this tonight and even my picky husband thought it was good. That means it was great!
Anonymous
St. Charles, Mo
12/22/2020
I made this for my dads girlfriends birthday. She loved it. My dad loved it. I loved it. The scallops were perfect and the sauce is FANTASTIC!! I would make this 100 times over. Except doing lemon supremes....that was a lot of work.
Cadit
Virginia
12/4/2020
Lovely, super flavorful dish. As others have mentioned, go easy on the lemon and definitely taste as you go.
atimidtempest
Sacramento, CA
6/8/2020