Pan-Seared Scallops With Lemon Butter

Learn to make restaurant-quality scallops at home—perfectly seared with a golden crust and finished with a bright lemon-butter sauce.

With a gorgeous golden crust and a bright lemon-butter sauce, these scallops make a quick but special dinner that feels restaurant-worthy. Jennifer Segal

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This pan-seared scallops recipe is elegant but surprisingly easy. Like a perfect steak or pan-seared salmon, scallops don’t need fancy sauces or extra ingredients—just the right technique. The trick is to sear them in a very hot pan and resist the urge to fiddle with them as they cook. Let them sit undisturbed, and you’ll be rewarded with a beautifully golden crust and a tender, buttery center.