These Seared Scallops with a Lemon Paprika Garlic Butter Sauce are so easy to make at home, yet taste like something from a fine dining restaurant. The recipe sears the scallops to perfection then dresses them with a simple butter sauce. Serve them for dinner with a side salad and some potatoes, pour them over pasta or plate 3 up as an appetizer. Versatile, delicious and quick - these Seared Lemon Paprika Garlic Butter Scallops are ready in under 10 minutes!!
Pat the scallops dry on both sides using paper towel (see note 1) and then leave them uncovered on a clean sheet of kitchen paper to air whilst you prepare the butter.
Stir the paprika and the zest of the lemon through the butter until well mixed. Set to one side.
Peel the garlic and lightly crush the whole cloves with the back of a knife - see note 2
Pour the olive oil into a large fry pan and set over a medium high heat. Let the oil get smoking hot.
Season the scallops lightly with salt.
Carefully and quickly add the scallops to the fry pan. Do them individually starting at 12 o'clock and working around the outside of the pan and then into the centre.
Cook the scallops for 90 seconds on one side.
Turn the heat off under the pan and add the butter mixture and lightly crushed garlic.
Use tongs to gently turn each scallop over into the sizzling butter, again starting at 12 o'clock.
Once the butter has stopped sizzling, squeeze over the juice of half the lemon and all of the chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.
Notes
To do this, lay your thawed scallops on a sheet of kitchen paper and then pat the tops with a second sheet. Repeat this (swapping both the top and the bottom until the scallops seem almost tacky and sticky.
To do this cut the root end off the garlic and lay your knife blade flat over the clove. Gently use your palm to squash the garlic clove. The skin should be easy to remove and the garlic should be lightly crushed. You may find the clove breaks in half, this is fine. You just don't want tiny pieces, like you would get if you used a garlic crusher or grater.