Pan-Seared Scallops & Lemon Butter Sauce
with Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes & Roasted Zucchini
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Milk
If you think perfectly cooked scallops are only achievable with a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant, think again! Here, you’ll master the art of the perfect sear, cooking the scallops until they form a beautifully caramelized, golden crust. The garlic-lemon pan sauce that’s drizzled over top is also delicious swiped through bites of crème fraîche mashed potatoes and chili roasted zucchini. Our compliments to the chef… oh yeah, that’s you!
Ingredients
12 ounce
Potatoes
1 unit
Seafood Stock Concentrate
(Contains: Fish, Shellfish)
1 unit
Zucchini
2 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lemon
8 ounce
Scallops
(Contains: Shellfish)
2 clove
Garlic
¼ ounce
Chives
1 teaspoon
Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
Not included in your delivery
4 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. • Dice potatoes into ½-inch pieces. Peel garlic; finely chop half and leave remaining whole. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Thinly slice chives. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Place potatoes and whole garlic in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. • Reserve ½ cup potato cooking liquid, then drain and return potatoes to pot. Mash with crème fraîche and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until smooth, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While potatoes cook, toss zucchini on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of chili flakes, and salt. • Roast on middle rack, tossing halfway through, until tender and lightly browned, 14-16 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pat scallops* dry with paper towels. Season all over with half the paprika (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. • Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until opaque and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. • Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Tent with foil to keep warm. Wipe out pan.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and half the lemon zest (all for 4 servings). Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. • Add stock concentrate, a big squeeze of lemon juice, and ¼ cup water (1/3 cup for 4). Simmer until slightly reduced, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat; season with salt and pepper. • Stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) and half the chives.
• Divide scallops, potatoes, and zucchini between plates. Top scallops with sauce. Garnish dish with remaining chives. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the lemon butter sauce, calling it "delicious" and "perfect" with the scallops 🍋.
- Ease of prep: First-time scallop cooks found the recipe easy to follow, with clear instructions for achieving a perfect sear.
- Suggestions: Consider rinsing scallops before cooking to remove grit; some found 3-5 minutes per side too long.
- Portions: Several wished for more scallops and zucchini; the potato portion was often seen as too large.
- Texture: Some found scallops tender and juicy; others noted uneven sizes led to inconsistent cooking.
Reviews from our home cooks
This recipe was absolutely delicious. The scallops were good quality and the lemon butter sauce was just wow. But don't be afraid to add other spices other than the ones offered. The smoked paprika was amazing but I also added some old bay and garlic powder. But I will definitely get again
One of our all time favorite meals!! The scallops were a nice size and a good portion for the family. The lemon buttery sauce was delicious and the creme fresh potatoes were amazing. Everyone "licked" their plates...
The butter cream sauce made the scallops really stand out for me! Not just that traditional seafood flavor. The mashed potatoes were a little dry and could have used a little more sour cream. Zucchini was good but wish it was asparagus like it originally was supposed to be. Still a great meal!
Loved the potatoes with the creme fraiche, that worked really well. Would have liked to have more than 3 scallops per person. Also would like help on timing so all components of the meal can be served hot :)
Potatoes were good, but the strongly flavored paprika sauce totally overpowered the delicately flavored scallops. Hard to imagine improving upon the 'sear in butter with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon' method for scallops. Also, more tips on how not to overcook the scallops would be useful.
Portions much too small. One tiny little zucchini for two people; I added shrimp to the scallops (all 6 of them) and added seasoning for 4 to the seafood. Very tasty but much too small with original ingredients. Also, your idea of adding potato water to creme fraiche or sour cream with mashed potatoes doesn't work for me. I added a small amount of heavy cream (had it in the fridge). Made a much creamier mashed potato.
I've always wanted to try making scallops at home, but never have because I'd heard they're hard to get right. This recipe made it seem so easy and they turned out PERFECT!
The lovely light lemon butter sauce was perfect. I could taste the scallops and they were nice and sweet. Good job.
Recommend using a high smoke point oil for the scallops, but a good recipe
Loved the spice added to the zucchini! The scallops were high quality. Sauce really complimented the dish.
