19 Scallop Recipes for a Restaurant-Quality Dinner at Home

You don’t need to do much to turn scallops into a restaurant-quality dinner. Many of our best scallop recipes call for a quick, hot sear, followed by a baste in butter. This hassle-free technique yields tender, golden-crusted scallops; but as easy as it is, we’ve devised a few additional ways to serve these little ocean jewels: Toss them into a seafood stew with clams and shrimp; serve them atop a golden bed of creamed corn; skewer and grill them; or opt for any of our other favorite scallop recipes below.

Whatever method you go for, follow these tips to ensure springy, perfectly seared scallops every time. (1) Seek out dry scallops. Unlike “wet” or “soaked” scallops, these have not been treated with phosphates, so they carry less water weight, which helps them caramelize beautifully when seared. (2) Remove the fibrous side muscle from the scallop—it becomes rubbery when cooked. Pinch the crescent-shaped flap between your thumb and forefinger and it should pull off easily. Stash these muscles in your freezer until you have a handful, then chop them up or add them to shrimp to form seafood patties. (3) Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel before cooking to remove excess moisture and ensure they develop a nice crust.

Now that you’re set up for scallop success, here are some of our favorite ways to cook ’em.