Here’s how to make scallop pasta at home in just 30 minutes, an impressive recipe with perfectly seared scallops, tender linguine, and a bright lemon-herb butter sauce!
If you’re looking for a dinner to impress, I’ve got a recipe for you: this scallop pasta with lemon and herbs! After countless tests trying to master seared scallops, I finally cracked the code: and then created this pasta recipe to turn them into a meal!
The pan seared scallops are sweet, buttery, and juicy, combined with al dente pasta and the flavors of lemon, garlic and herbs. There’s something about this recipe that makes any night like a celebration! It also comes together just as easily as most of my favorite pasta recipes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in about 30 minutes: The pasta cooks while you sear the scallops, making it great for busy weeknights or entertaining!
- Simple ingredients but sophisticated: Just a handful of quality ingredients: scallops, butter, lemon, garlic, and fresh herbs come together for big flavor.
5 Star Reader Review
“This is the best pasta/scallop recipe that I have found. It has a very delicate but flavorful sauce that does not overpower the scallops.” -Patrick
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
Linguine noodles: I like linguine here for its flat shape and perfect thickness, but you can use any long pasta like spaghetti, fettucine, or bucatini. (I would avoid angel hair since it soaks up too much of the sauce.)
Sea scallops: Make sure to get sea scallops, not bay scallops: they’re the large ones (about 1 to 1.5 inches). Fresh or frozen both work. Keep reading for more.
Neutral oil: I use avocado oil or grapeseed oil for its high smoke point.
Salted butter: Creates the rich, silky sauce base. You can also use olive oil for Mediterranean diet and dairy free.
Lemon, garlic and fresh herbs: Fresh lemon zest adds bright, aromatic citrus flavor and fresh minced garlic adds savory flavor. I love tarragon and parsley for hte herbs, but basil, thyme, dill, or chives all work.
Milk: Creates a lighter, more delicate sauce than heavy cream. You can use 2%, whole, or even oat milk for dairy free.
Baby greens: I use baby spinach or baby kale so it wilts into the hot pasta.
Parmesan cheese: Optional but delicious, for even more savory notes!
Choosing the Best Scallops
Finding the best scallops at the store can be daunting if you’ve never cooked with them before. Here are a few notes on what to look for when buying scallops:
- Sea scallops: Sea scallops are large and the variety to use when pan searing. Avoid bay scallops: they very small and mainly used in stews.
- Wild caught vs farmed: Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide.
- Wet scallops vs dry scallops: Some scallops are treated with water and sodium tripolyphosphate and then frozen, sometimes called “wet scallops. This can give them a soapy flavor and rubbery texture (read more). However, most packages you find at the grocery don’t indicate wet or dry, so this recipe has a trick for freshening either type.
- Fresh vs frozen scallops: You can use either! See below for notes on how to defrost scallops.
The Secret to Perfect Seared Scallops
This scallop pasta is an easy recipe: the only part with a little technique is how to sear the scallops. If it’s not perfect, that’s ok! It’s a little tricky to get them all perfectly brown, so you might have to practice a few times. Here are my top tips on how to sear scallops:
- Brine the scallops for 10 minutes, then pat them dry. Place them in a bath of room temperature salt water, which freshens the flavor and helps season the scallop from the inside out. Don’t skip this step! Patting them dry is also important: any water on the scallops will cause them to steam instead of sear.
- Keep the scallops as far apart as possible in the pan. You may find you need to do 2 batches. If the scallops are touch, you also risk steaming instead of browning.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes: don’t stir! Not moving the scallop allows the brown crust to form. This is called the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction that creates that beautifully browned flavor on seared proteins.
- Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Same deal: don’t stir! This forms the crust on the other side.
Tips for Thawing Frozen Scallops
Frozen scallops have great flavor! The only thing is, you have to think ahead to thaw them. But if you forget to (like we often do), here’s a trick. The best options for how to thaw frozen scallops are:
- Day before (best option): Place the frozen scallops in the refrigerator overnight. Give them a quick rinse before using, removing any pieces of leftover ice.
- Day of (in a pinch): Keep the frozen scallops in the package or place them in a resealable plastic bag. Place the package of bag into a large bowl with cold water. The scallops should thaw in about 30 minutes.
What to Serve with Scallop Pasta
This scallop pasta calls for only 8 ounces of pasta, which is a moderate serving. So, I recommend serving this dish with a few sides to help make it into a filling healthy dinner idea. Because it’s got a bit of an elegant Italian flair, it’s also great for dinner parties or a romantic dinner.
Here are some of my favorite side dishes to serve with scallops, both everyday and fancy:
- Everyday salads: Perfect Spinach Salad, Easy Arugula Salad or Italian Salad.
- Fancier salads: Fennel Orange Salad, Citrus Salad, or Arugula Beet Salad.
- Side vegetables: Roasted Asparagus, Lemony Green Beans, Sauteed Green Beans, or Parmesan Broccoli.
- Bread: No Knead Bread or Garlic Toast
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerator storage: This dish is best served immediately, but you can refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.
Reheating tips: Reheat individual portions in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this dish, since scallops can become tough and rubbery after thawing.
Dietary Notes
This scallop pasta recipe is pescatarian. For gluten free, use gluten free or legume pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bay scallops are too small to get a proper sear. I recommend sticking with sea scallops for this recipe. If you only have bay scallops, consider making a scallop stew instead.
The scallops should be opaque in the center with a slight translucence. They’ll feel firm but still have a little give when you press them. Overcooked scallops become rubbery, so you can cook them even slightly underdone: they’ll continue cooking a bit after you remove them from heat.
Yes! Substitute the butter with olive oil or vegan butter, and use a dairy-free milk alternative like oat milk instead of regular milk.
Fresh parsley alone works. You could also use fresh basil, dill, or chives: whatever fresh herbs you can find. Just avoid dried herbs in the sauce, as they don’t provide the same bright flavor.
Scallop Pasta with Lemon & Herbs
Pin RecipeHere’s how to make scallop pasta at home in just 30 minutes, an impressive recipe with perfectly seared scallops, tender linguine, and a bright lemon-herb butter sauce!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
For the scallops
- 8 ounces linguine noodles or other long noodles (gluten-free or legume pasta if desired)
- 1 pound sea scallops, thawed if frozen
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (tarragon, thyme, parsley, etc)
- ½ cup milk
- 1 handful baby greens (spinach or kale)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for the garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Thaw the scallops, if frozen (see Notes).
- Cook the pasta: Start a pot of well salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until it is just al dente. Start tasting a few minutes before the package recommends: you want it to be tender but still a little firm on the inside; usually around 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta. (If it finishes before the sauce, add it back to the pot with a drizzle of olive oil so it doesn’t stick.)
- Brine the scallops (10 minutes): Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, mix together 4 cups room temperature water and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Place the scallops in the water and wait for 10 minutes.
- Sear the scallops: Remove the scallops and dry thoroughly. Lightly season with a several pinches kosher salt. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. If using a medium skillet, cook the scallops in two batches. Once the oil is hot, add the scallops and cook without turning for 2 to 3 minutes, until an even brown crust clearly forms on bottom.
- Flip scallops with tongs. Cook additional 2 to 3 minutes on the other side, until a crust just forms on bottom and the center of the scallop is almost opaque. Remove the scallops from the skillet to a plate and turn off the heat.
- Make the sauce: Turn on the heat to low. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the lemon zest, minced garlic and chopped herbs. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to release flavor from any browned bits stuck to the pan. Cook 1 minute until fragrant, adjusting the heat so the garlic is just sizzling but so it doesn’t brown.
- Add the milk, pasta, kosher salt, and greens and return the heat to medium; cook until greens are wilted. Return the scallops to the pan and cook for a few seconds until just warm. Add lots of fresh ground black pepper. Taste and add additional salt if necessary. Serve with drizzle of olive oil and if desired, grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Thawing frozen scallops: For best results, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. In a pinch, keep frozen scallops in their package or a resealable bag and submerge in cold water for 30 minutes.
Pasta alternatives: Any long pasta works here: spaghetti, bucatini or fettuccine. For gluten-free, use brown rice linguine or chickpea pasta.
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