Mediterranean Scallops with Tomatoes Capers and Lemon Garlic
Pan-Seared Scallops with Tomatoes, Garlic, and Capers is a 30-minute one-pan Mediterranean meal to make during the Spring / Summer season! The cherry tomatoes are cooked with olive oil, garlic, lemon, capers, and seasonings, and then combined with perfectly seared scallops. Serve it with a crusty slice of Italian bread, pasta, ravioli, mashed potatoes, or roasted green veggies.
Prep Time: 10minutes
Cook Time: 20minutes
Total Time: 30minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Scallops
1.5 lb scallops
2 tablespoons cooking oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tomato sauce
5 cloves garlic minced
10 oz cherry tomatoes red and yellow, halved
½ whole lemon freshly squeezed juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons capers drained, divided
INSTRUCTIONS:
How to sear scallops
If using frozen scallops, make sure the scallops are thawed completely. Blot each scallop with paper towels to remove extra water. It’s best to sear scallops after they’ve been out of the fridge for 30 minutes (to bring them closer to room temperature).
Season scallops with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large 12-inch skillet on high heat until it shimmers without smoking.
Add scallops without overcrowding the pan.
Sear on one side for about 3 or 4 minutes until a golden crust forms on the bottom of the scallops. Don’t move the scallops around the pan.
Flip the scallops to the other side and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes.
Note: cooking times will depend on the size of your scallops. As you can see in the photos, I’ve used fairly large scallops. If you use very small scallops, reduce cooking times.
Remove from heat and transfer the scallops to the plate immediately. Don’t allow the scallops to rest in the hot skillet, off heat. That will make them steam and lose their crust.
Make the sauce and assemble
To the same, now empty, skillet, add minced garlic, half of the cherry tomatoes (saving the other half of tomatoes for later), and 1 tablespoon of capers. Cook on medium heat, stirring, for 4 minutes.
Add the remaining half of the tomatoes.
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and stir on low heat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Add back seared scallops.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of capers over the scallops. Top with fresh thyme. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 841mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg