An easy recipe for baked scallops with a wonderful sauce of butter, lemon, and Parmesan. Perfect over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower!
This delicious scallops recipe is always a big hit, whenever I make it. It’s so rich, buttery and flavorful. Everyone raves about it and asks for seconds!
I like to make this dish for guests because it’s foolproof and liked by everyone. But I also make it often for my family, because it’s nutritious, tasty, and truly easy to make.
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 on seared scallops 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 so flavorful and succulent.
This recipe is delicious. It is also very easy to make – easier than sauteing, for sure. And the buttery-cheesy topping is just wonderful.
The ingredients you’ll need
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make baked scallops (the exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below):
Large sea scallops: Don’t use small bay scallops in this recipe.
Unsalted butter: I’m partial to European butter.
Dry white wine: Adds a nice layer of flavor, but it’s OK to skip it.
Fresh lemon juice: It’s best to use fresh-squeezed 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. A teaspoon of kosher salt weighs less than a teaspoon of regular salt.
Spices: Garlic powder, dried parsley, cayenne pepper, and sweet paprika. Make sure they are fresh! A stale spice can easily ruin a dish!
Chopped fresh parsley: I use it mostly for garnish, but it also adds flavor.
How to bake scallops
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Top the scallops with a mixture of butter, wine, lemon juice, parmesan, and spices.
Cover and bake in a broiler-safe dish until cooked through, about 25 minutes at 350°F.
Broil. Sprinkle the dish with more cheese and with paprika and broil until browned. Top them with chopped parsley and serve.
How to serve them
These baked scallops come out of the oven quite saucy and the sauce is exquisite, so make the most of it. If you don’t mind carbs/gluten, serve these scallops on a bed of rice or pasta.
If you’re on a low-carb and/or gluten-free diet, cauliflower rice is the perfect solution for you. Mashed cauliflower also works well to soak up the tasty sauce.
I sometimes 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 these scallops.
Reviews of this recipe and some tasty variations
I love visiting Pinterest and seeing the many ways people make this recipe. There are so many great variations! I haven’t actually tried any of them – I like this recipe just as it is – but they sure sound good. Here are a few interesting ideas:
- Add hot sauce for some extra kick.
- Mix in some crumbled bacon.
- Add scallions.
- If you prefer not to use wine, simply omit it. The dish is still amazing.
- Serve over polenta.
- Serve over quinoa.
What to do with 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.
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Baked Scallops
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lb. large sea scallops (15 per pound)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup more for topping
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon sea salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Rinse the scallops and pat dry. Place 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, 1/2 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 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, less if they’re smaller. So start checking after 20 minutes.
- Uncover the scallops, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and with the paprika (mostly added for color), and broil for a minute or two to brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.
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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, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.