Looking for an easy and flavorful seafood dish? Look no further than these Pan Seared Scallops with Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers! Delicious on their own but insanely good over pasta or a bed of asparagus!

Scallops with Tomatoes, Capers, and Olives

Greeting from Nantucket Island! If you follow me on IG, you probably already know I’m on vacation! The first in almost 2 years. And we’re definitely making up for lost time by soaking up all of the sun, sea, and SEAFOOD!

And because I love you guys, I wanted to quickly pop in and share a little seafood with you, too! More specifically, these gorgeous seared scallops that are topped with tomatoes, capers, olives, and a white wine sauce that’s to-die-for-flavorful!

This dish takes less than 30 minutes to whip up, but tastes and looks like it’s from a fancy restaurant! Personally, I love serving these sea scallops over angel hair pasta! But you can easily serve them with a lighter option like roasted asparagus or rice!

Tips and Tricks for Making Scallops

Scallops are VERY expensive! So I wanted to share a few of my chef secrets for making them absolutely irresistible (and worth the cost)!!!

1. Pat the scallops dry! You can do this by placing them on a few sheets of paper towels, then place a few more sheets on tops, and press! You want to remove as much moisture as possible before you add them to the pan and cook.
2. Don’t over season! You really only want to lightly season with salt and pepper. That’s because you’ll be tossing them in a super flavorful sauce later!
3. Get your pan HOT! It’s ok if it smokes a little. I like to place a cast iron skillet or large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and get it super super hot before I add the scallops.
4. Cook your sauce in a separate pan! You can start the sauce first, reduce it to a simmer, and cook, stirring on low, while you make the scallops.
5. For the sauce, add the butter to the pan first and cook until there are little browned bits on the bottom of the pan. And then olive oil and add the garlic and pepper flakes! This order is important!
6. And be sure to add wine and lemon juice last! Again, this order is important for the flavors properly combining.
7. Don’t skip the butter AND oil! This is not the recipe to try and save on saturated fat!
8. Don’t over cook! There are few things worse than an overcooked scallop! They really only need about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Use visual clues! Look for the golden crust on the bottom of the scallops… that’s your cue to turn them over.

More Scallop Recipes:

• Pan Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce
• Honey Glazed Scallops
• Perfectly Seared Scallops
• Spaghetti with Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Perfectly Seared Scallops

Pan Seared Scallops with Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers

Ashley Manila

Looking for an easy and flavorful seafood dish? Look no further than these Pan Seared Scallops with Tomatoes, Olives, and Capers! Delicious on their own but insanely good over pasta or a bed of asparagus!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 5 servings

Ingredients

 

For the Tomato, Olive, Caper Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large garlic glove, finely minced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 3 Tablespoons seedless Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 2 Tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

For the Seared Scallops:

• 1 and 1/2 pounds sea scallops, patted dry
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Freshly ground sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

For the Tomato, Olive, Caper Sauce:

• In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and cook, tilting the pan frequently, until butter has lightly browned. It should smell nutty and have amber bits on the bottom of the pan. 
•  Add the olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes sauté for 1 minute. The add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for another minute, or until garlic is fragrant.
• Add the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and blistering, but still hold their shape, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the olives and capers and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add in the white wine, stir, and allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer.
• Stir in the basil, lemon juice, and salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over scallops and serve warm!

For the Seared Scallops:

• Remove the tiny side muscle from the scallops (if they have one). Rinse scallops with cold water and pat dry with a few sheets of paper towels. You want to make sure you get as much moisture out of them as possible. Set aside on a paper towel. 
• Add the butter and oil to a large sauté pan over high heat. 
• While the pan heats up, lightly salt and pepper the scallops.
• Once the pan begins to lightly smoke, gently add the scallops into the pan, making sure they are not touching.
• Sear scallops for about 1 and 1/2 minutes, then gently flip and cook for another 1 and 1/2 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown. Don't touch them at all while they're searing.
• Tops with sauce, and serve warm! Preferably over pasta or rice.

Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature