Name: Cast Iron Scallops
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 7 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 (1 to 1.5 inch wide) raw sea scallops; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Sea salt, to taste; Optional: Microgreens, for garnish

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These Cast Iron Scallops are as easy and simple as you can make them using only three ingredients, scallops, olive oil, and salt.

Delicate and creamy with a sweet caramelized crust, just like at the restaurants! Seared sea scallops are one of the best things you can eat, and making them yourself is much cheaper than dining out. The best part is that it takes less than 5 minutes to make them.

The trick to achieving the perfect scallops is by patting the scallops dry and waiting until the pan is nice and hot before placing them on. I love most shellfish but seared scallops are for the win, not to mention, they’re really low maintenance compared to lobster or crab. People are intimidated to make scallops at home so they opt to ordering them at a restaurant.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Seafood Boil Bag and my Peruvian Ceviche.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Cast Iron Scallops
Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Sea scallops
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Microgreens

See recipe card for Cast Iron Scallops quantities.

Instructions

Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel, then put them in a large bowl and add the olive oil. Toss the scallops gently in the oil until fully coated.

Preheat a large cast iron over medium high heat.

Once it’s hot, sear the scallops until golden, 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side.

Season to taste with salt and garnish with microgreens. Serve Cast Iron Scallops immediately.

Season to taste with salt and garnish with microgreens. Serve immediately.

If you loved these scallops, you should try my good friend Angela's at Cooking with Wine's perfectly seared scallops.

Substitutions

Sea scallops: Don’t buy scallops stored in a milky white fluid. It’s either a chemical preservative or it means they are old. Always opt for your local fish market and look for a fishmonger who sells “dry scallops”
Olive Oil: You will need high quality extra-virgin olive oil for best quality and taste.
Salt: I would not use kosher salt – use a thick sea salt.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
Deluxe - add maple syrup or wrap them in bacon.

Check out this Camaron Aguachile.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

It is very easy to overcook the scallops. It is better for them to be on the rare side rather than overcooked. Make sure you use the freshest scallops.