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    Home » Seafood Recipes » Buttery Baked Scallops

    Buttery Baked Scallops

    Last updated: Feb 19, 2023 · Recipes developed by Vered DeLeeuw and nutritionally reviewed by Rachel Benight MS, RD · This website generates income via ads and uses cookies.

    Jump to Recipe Card

    This easy recipe for baked scallops with a wonderful sauce of butter, lemon, and Parmesan is my favorite way of cooking this delicious seafood.

    It's ready in about 30 minutes, truly easy to make, and it's just perfect when served over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower!

    Baked scallops topped with chopped parsley, served in an oval baking dish.

    Scallops are such a delightful way to enjoy seafood! I love them for their amazing flavor, and this particular recipe is especially good. It's rich, buttery, and very flavorful.

    I like to make this recipe for guests because it's foolproof and liked by everyone (a recent guest has declared it "restaurant-level!"). But I also make it often for my family, because it's truly easy to make.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Expert tip
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Variations
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storing leftovers
    • Related recipes
    • Recipe card

    Ingredients

    You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these amazing baked scallops. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

    • Large sea scallops: Small bay scallops won't work in this recipe. They are too small and will become overcooked.
    • Unsalted butter: I'm partial to European butter, but any butter will be great.
    • Dry white wine: The wine adds a nice layer of flavor, and I like to drink it with the finished dish. But it's OK to skip it if you're so inclined.
    • Fresh lemon juice: It's best to use fresh-squeezed lemon juice and not the juice that comes in a bottle.
    • Grated Parmesan cheese: Use finely grated cheese, not coarsely shredded.
    • Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could turn out too salty.
    • Spices: I use garlic powder, dried parsley, cayenne pepper, and sweet paprika.
    • Chopped fresh parsley: I use it mostly for garnish, but it also adds flavor.
    The ingredients needed to bake scallops.

    Instructions

    Baking scallops is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

    You start by topping the scallops with a mixture of butter, wine, lemon juice, parmesan, and spices.

    Next, cover and bake them in a broiler-safe dish until cooked through, about 25 minutes in a 350°F oven.

    A photo collage showing steps 1-4 for baking scallops in the oven.

    The final step is to sprinkle the dish with more cheese and with paprika and broil it until the tops of the scallops are browned and crispy. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

    A photo collage showing steps 5-8 for making baked scallops.

    Expert tip

    It's important to use large sea scallops in this recipe - the biggest you can find. Jumbo scallops (12 per pound) are perfect for this recipe. Small ones, and especially tiny bay scallops, will become overcooked.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the best way to cook sea scallops?

    I am partial to baking. I do love my recipe for seared scallops and make it often. The beautiful crust that forms when you sear them is amazing.

    And these broiled scallops are phenomenal. They are cheesy and delicious.

    But baking is by far the easiest way to cook sea scallops. And when baked in a tasty sauce, they come out flavorful and succulent.

    How long should scallops be cooked?

    It depends on the recipe. When sauteing them, you only need to sear them for about 3 minutes per side.

    But in this recipe, we're taking a different approach and baking them covered, so we're cooking them for about 20 minutes.

    How do you know when the scallops are done?

    When cooked through, they become opaque. You can always make a small slit in one of them to check.

    But the best way to ensure they're done is to use an instant-read thermometer inserted through their side. It should read 115 degrees F.

    Variations

    A few tasty variations on this recipe include adding hot sauce for an extra kick, topping the dish with crumbled bacon, and adding chopped scallions.

    Another thing you can do is increase the quantities. As you can see in the video below, I used 3 lb. of jumbo scallops (12 per pound), so I had a total of 36 really big ones, and I cooked them in a 9 X 13-inch pan.

    This worked beautifully, and the remaining ingredients remained the same - there was no need to increase their quantity.

    Serving suggestions

    This dish comes out of the oven quite saucy and the sauce is exquisite, so you should make the most of it.

    You can obviously serve this dish on a bed of rice or pasta, but I usually serve it on top of cauliflower rice. Mashed cauliflower also works well to soak up the tasty sauce.

    Another option is to use a bed of raw spinach leaves. The hot buttery sauce wilts the leaves just enough to gently cook them. This is actually one of my favorite way to serve this dish.

    Storing leftovers

    You can keep the leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge, in a sealed container. Reheat them very gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power.

    Scallops served in a baking dish with a napkin and a serving fork.

    Related recipes

    • Baked Shrimp
    • Seared scallops.
      Seared Scallops
    • Seafood Mix
      Seafood Mix Recipe
    • Shrimp Scampi
      Shrimp Scampi

    👩🏻‍🍳 I typically publish a new or an updated recipe once a week. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe! You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Recipe card

    Baked Scallops.
    4.98 from 1641 votes
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    Buttery Baked Scallops

    You will love this easy recipe for baked scallops with a wonderful sauce of butter, lemon, and Parmesan!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 296kcal
    Author: Vered DeLeeuw
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    INGREDIENTS

    • 2 pounds sea scallops large (15 per pound)
    • 6 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted
    • 2 tablespoons dry white wine
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
    • ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated, divided
    • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon sea salt)
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
    • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
    • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

    INSTRUCTIONS

    • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Rinse the scallops and pat them dry. Place them in a lightly greased oven-and-broiler-safe casserole dish.
    • In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together the butter, wine, lemon juice, ½ cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried parsley, and cayenne. Set aside for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens.
    • Spoon a little of the mixture on top of each scallop.
    • Cover the pan with foil and bake until the scallops are cooked through and opaque, and their internal temperature is 115 degrees F. This should take about 25 minutes if your scallops are extra-large, and less if they’re smaller. So start checking after 20 minutes.
    • Remove the baking dish from the oven. Switch the oven to broil and set a rack 6 inches beneath the heating element (not directly below).
    • Uncover the scallops, sprinkle them with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and with the paprika (mostly added for color), and broil until their tops are browned and crispy, 2-3 minutes. Check on them constantly to make sure they don't burn. Sprinkle them with chopped parsley and serve.

    WATCH THE VIDEO:

    NOTES

    It's important to use large sea scallops in this recipe - the biggest you can find. Jumbo scallops (12 per pound) are perfect for this recipe. Small scallops, and especially tiny bay scallops, will become overcooked.
    You can make this recipe with 3 lb. jumbo scallops (12 per lb. so a total of 36 scallops) and use a 9 X 13–inch pan, as I do in the video above. The remaining ingredients can stay the same.

    ADD YOUR OWN NOTES

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    DISCLAIMERSMost of our recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes.

    NUTRITION PER SERVING

    Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 664mg
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    More Keto Seafood Recipes

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    About the Author

    Vered Deleeuw Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.

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    Healthy Recipes Blog was founded in 2011 by Vered Deleeuw. It features real-food recipes with a focus on low-carb and gluten-free ingredients. All recipes are nutritionally reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. Contact us at HealthyRecipesBlog@gmail.com.


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