The secret to cooking scallops is to let nature shine by keeping the dish simple. When cooked right, scallops are one of the greatest luxuries in simplicity. They don’t need heavy sauces, elaborate techniques, or hours in the kitchen. In fact, the less you do, the better they taste. All you need is high heat, dry scallops, and a few minutes of patience. That’s it. And in just 8 minutes, you can bring that same restaurant-quality experience to your own kitchen.
Why Australian Scallops?
For this recipe, we recommend Australian wild-caught scallops. Harvested from the crystal-clear waters off the Australian coast, these scallops are renowned for their sweet, ocean-fresh flavour and buttery texture. Unlike their water-logged, farmed counterparts, these gems sear beautifully, developing that golden crust without releasing excess moisture. The result? A scallop that’s crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and bursting with natural sweetness.
Scallops have always been my go-to for an effortless yet impressive meal. Whether you’re putting together a romantic dinner, an impromptu gathering, or simply treating yourself after a long day, this dish delivers elegance in under 10 minutes.
● Prep Time: 5 minutes
● Cook Time: 3 minutes
● Total Time: 8 minutes
● Yield: 1 serving
INGREDIENTS
● 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
● 1 teaspoon olive oil
● 6 Australian scallops (thawed overnight in the fridge)
● Sea salt
● Black pepper
● Pea sprouts or herbs to garnish (e.g. parsley, thyme)
DIRECTIONS
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle sea salt and black pepper on both sides of the scallops.
- Add oil and butter to the pan on high heat and place the scallops gently, ensuring that they do not touch each other.
- Sear the scallops for 1.5 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a golden crust on the sides while still looking translucent in the middle.
- Garnish and serve immediately.
With just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes, you can create a dish that rivals any five-star restaurant.
So go ahead, pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on some music, and cook up something extraordinary. Because the best meals aren’t always the most complicated—they’re just the ones made with care.
Afterthought: How not to ruin your dish – What you want to avoid are frozen scallops that shrink upon thawing. It can be mildly annoying when you pay a good price for such a premium product, just to see them lose half their size when the ice melts. When it comes to scallops, it is incredibly important to find a trusted source. At Ifish, we serve premium restaurants and hotel customers for over twenty years, and our scallops are pre-screened to ensure there is no quality issues. There are a variety of scallops we supply (Australia, Canada..) and you can certainly enquire if you wish to procure for your business.
