Scallops are little pieces of sweetness from the sea that melt in your mouth. It never ceases to amaze me, though, how much restaurants charge for just a few pieces. The good news is you can easily make them at home for half the price! It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and cook, but looks so elegant on your plate. Make these scallops for your next dinner and you’ll be sure to impress your honey. 😉

Scallops are readily available at most grocery and seafood stores; however, unless you trust that the seafood is fresh at your local store, I would stick to the frozen section. What’s sitting at the seafood counter usually is thawed and has been sitting there for a few days. I’ve been buying frozen jumbo sea scallops from Trader Joe’s for a while now and have not been disappointed! Just thaw them in your refrigerator overnight and they’ll be ready to cook the next day.

Recipe
Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:
8 to 10 sea scallops
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse scallops and thoroughly pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Add oil and butter to a large pan over high heat.
3. Season scallops with salt and pepper.
4. Once the pan is very hot, add the scallops, making sure they aren’t touching each other.
5. Sear scallops for 2 minutes on each side. They should have a golden brown crust on each side and be translucent in the center.
6. Squeeze lemon juice over scallops (optional) and serve immediately.