How To Cook Scallops

Scallops may feel fancy, but they’re in no way fussy or difficult. In fact, they take just about 5 minutes to cook and even less time to prep (too good to be true, am I right?). Follow our basic scallop cooking commandments below, and you'll be flipping them confidently in no time. 

1. Bigger is better.
Big and jumbo scallops are meatier and sweeter. They also have less of a chance of overcooking and getting rubbery.

2. The little side muscles need to go.
The small bit of muscle tissue on the side of each scallop is totally safe to eat, but it’s tough to chew. To remove it, pinch and peel.

3. Pat ‘em dry.
Excess moisture will create steam and prevent proper searing. After removing the muscle, blot them with a paper towel before doing anything else!

4. Get the grill (or skillet) HOT.
In our opinion, a scallop is only as good as its deeply seared golden crust. Your grill or skillet is ready once it's just starting to smoke. When you add the scallops, you should hear them sizzle! If it's not hot enough, the scallops won’t caramelize.

5. Cook them naked.
Don’t you dare marinate them (it’ll mask their flavor!) or even toss them with olive oil. Instead, generously oil the grates of your grill with something neutral, like vegetable oil. If you're using a skillet, heat a mixture of butter and olive oil. Butter has a pretty low smoking point, which can lead to burning, but we love it so much with seared scallops. Combining it with olive oil helps offset this problem for such a short cook time.