Scallops With Cream and Basil Recipe (2024)

By Mark Bittman

Scallops With Cream and Basil Recipe (1)

Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(735)
Notes
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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 6tablespoons butter
  • 12sea scallops
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼cup chopped shallots
  • 1teaspoon slivered garlic
  • Pinch crushed red chili flakes
  • ½cup dry white wine
  • ¾cup heavy cream
  • 20basil leaves, cut in thin ribbons

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

393 calories; 34 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 428 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Scallops With Cream and Basil Recipe (2)

Preparation

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  1. Put 4 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat. When foam subsides, add scallops; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides, adjusting heat so they brown nicely; they need not cook through. Remove them to a plate.

  2. Step

    2

    Turn off heat, cool pan a bit and wipe out. Add remaining butter over medium heat. When it melts, add shallots, garlic, chili flakes and a little more salt and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes, or until shallots soften.

  3. Step

    3

    Add wine, raise heat a bit, and let bubble away for a minute or so until reduced by about half; add cream and repeat. When liquid is thick, return scallops and juices to pan.

  4. Step

    4

    Cook for about a minute, stirring in half the basil, until scallops are just firm. Taste and adjust seasoning, transfer to small bowls or plates with a bit of sauce, garnish with remaining basil, and serve.

Ratings

5

out of 5

735

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Cooking Notes

Andrew Rudin

To get the scallops to properly brown, make sure they are dry.... I place them on a paper towel and then turn them over to make sure the surface area is not wet. And yeah... what's the point of wiping out the pan. Certainly seems unnecessary.

Scargod

I used Aleppo pepper flakes, no shallots and toasted garlic granules. The white wine was a citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from NZ. It was great dish. I had it with Cipollenes, small, red potatoes and sugar snaps.
I recommend not over-browning the scallops. I did not wipe out pan. Once the browned, stuck bits are softened by the liquids, I scrape them loose from the bottom of the skillet. It adds flavor and color.

michelle

This is delicious! I have a milk allergy and substituted the cream with plain, unsweetened coconut milk.

ND

I made this exactly as written.Be still my heart!

Patrick Scott

This is a delicious and easy recipe. For fun, I also topped it with a few bacon bits and parmesan cheese. Next time, I would like to throw in a few shrimp as well and serve it all over a small amount of pasta.

Bahram Keramati

Delicious as it is. No need for wiping the pan before adding the shallots. A great addition is mushrooms. I tried sh*takes, about 1 cup sliced and added to the shallots after about a minute. It was fantastic with some plain linguine.

ECB

Insanely simple and delicious. Agree with others - no need to wipe the pan out after the scallops cook. Tripled the sauce to serve over pasta - could just have doubled but leftovers were great!

Margaret

It's mid December in a pandemic, so no basil for me. I omitted the basil and used about a quarter cup of lemon juice instead of the wine. I wanted to give sauce a little flavor and I have had lemon cream sauce with scallops before. It was unbelievably delicious, even the family member who isn't a big scallop fan cleaned his plate.

Tish

This is one of my favorite dishes. It also works well with shrimp.

mcp

I was very careful to dry the scallops first so that they would brown nicely. I did not move them for three minutes and checked to see how they looked before turning, the other side got just one minute. I served with the brown side up because I did not want to overcook.My scallops had been frozen and produced liquid when they were defrosted overnight in the refrigerator. I saved the liquid and added it with the vermouth when making the sauce. Excellent will have again, fine cold as leftovers.

Keyser Röle

I ran the recipe through my Atkins Meal Planner to get this (very basic) nutritional info for 2 (TWO) servings:

Net Carbs: 7.7
Protein: 32.5
Fat: 67.5
Calories: 823
Fiber: .05

This is totally on my weekend menu - Thanks Mark.

Todd Hays

From someone: To get the scallops to properly brown, make sure they are dry.... I place them on a paper towel and then turn them over to make sure the surface area is not wet.

js

Delicious!!!

T. Dobbs

Excellent recipe even with substitutions. Onions instead of shallots (shallots are better), half and half instead of heavy cream and fresh basil from a tube instead of leaves. All good! Delicious meal with a fresh green salad.

grandma carol

Excellent, no changes

Virginia

A delicious recipe. I added roasted cherry tomatoes and would recommend either more acid or less cream. It was extremely rich.

Cody

Amazingly delicious! I added a little nutmeg to bring out the cream flavor. A little trick I learned for Alfredo and it was amazing. Would make again with some pasta.

Mara

This was spectacular - kicked off our christmas weekend with this and it felt special. I did not have basil so substituted tarragon and served with roasted fennel and wild rice which were great compliments. I can't wait to try it with basil.

Anne S.

This was excellent. I didn't have basil leaves and I sautéed a whole garlic clove with the butter, then removed it. I did have to wipe out the pan after sautéing the scallops as the butter browned. I added the wine, then cream and extra salt and pepper. I cooked a bag of frozen peas with the raviolis, strained, and added to the cream sauce.

Marguerite

Sometimes a recipe can serve as inspiration, waiting to be something other than itself. Grill some salmon filets, follow the sauce recipe from sautéing the shallots to thickening with butter- and flour-thickened whole milk (because no cream in the house). Sauce the fish (removing skin) and finish off with a flourish of basil and chopped fresh dill (because of dill in the house). Serve with steamed white rice and peas. Don’t forget the wine.

CJ

This was great served with basmati rice. Easy and fast but kind of fancy too. Will make again for sure

Nacko

Served over linguine. Doubled the sauce. Between the butter and heavy cream, I think I gained 10lbs.!!!!!!! Sooooo gooood.

De Gustibus

Delicious as is and with a few minor changes and tweaks it is easily transformed into a lovely, subtle Thai basil and coconut milk curry. I love recipes that effortlessly jump from one culture to another.

JF

This is one of my favorite NYT recipes ever. I agree with the comments that the browned bits add, and that's the way I do it now. I generally like a little heat but for scallops I think skipping the red pepper flakes is marginally better. This is a real hit with my family, which includes vegetarians who draw the line above scallops. Simple, quick, and delicious.

Kluski

My butter browned quite a bit - difficult to see in a dark pan. Still, it was absolutely delicious.

my notes

Really good, my whole family loved it. I made it following the recipe, and the sauce was delicious. I used frozen scallops. I put them in the refrigerator the night before to thaw and dried them off with a paper towel prior to cooking. I served the scallops and sauce over mashed potatoes. Will definitely make this again.

Gwen

1st time I have ever left a review but I was so incredibly disappointed with this scallop recipe that I had to. This recipe was a real waste of fresh, locally sourced, beautiful scallops. I know that they were great because I cooked 1/2 of them simply browned in butter and they were heavenly. Then I made this recipe and the sauce was so pungent and unctuous that you couldn't taste the delicate scallops at all, and that was without adding the basil! How this gets a 5 star rating is beyond me-

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Scallops With Cream and Basil Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why do you soak scallops in milk before cooking? ›

Scallops, like many other types of seafood, can have a mild fishy odor that some people find off-putting. Soaking scallops in milk before cooking can help alleviate this odor. Milk can neutralize or mask the fishy smell, resulting in a milder scent.

What's a good side dish with scallops? ›

THE BEST SIDES TO SERVE WITH SCALLOPS
  • POTATOES SIDE DISH. You may not be aware that a potatoes side dish is among the best meals to serve with scallops. ...
  • ROASTED OR GRILLED VEGETABLES. ...
  • CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUTS. ...
  • REFRESHING SALADS. ...
  • TRUFFLE CREAMED CORN. ...
  • RICE AND QUINOA. ...
  • STEAK.

How do you cook scallops so they are not rubbery? ›

If you want your scallops to develop a nice crust (who doesn't?), most of the cooking should happen on just one side of the scallop. Once the scallops have caramelized (3–4 minutes), flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes to finish. Be careful not to overcook. When overcooked, scallops will turn rubbery and chewy.

How long should I soak scallops in milk? ›

In a medium bowl, rinse scallops in water. Drain. Cover scallops with milk and let sit in refrigerator for 2 hours. When ready to prepare, drain the milk and place scallops on paper towels to dry completely.

What happens if you don't rinse scallops? ›

A: You should always rinse scallops thoroughly to remove grit, but there shouldn't be so much grit that you have to soak them. In fact, soaking isn't recommended because the scallops can absorb water and get soggy, less flavorful and difficult to sear properly.

Should you cook scallops in butter or oil? ›

Let that butter brown a bit. Then the scallops go in. Scallops are low-fat and high in protein with lots of vitamins, minerals and antioXidant. while I recommend cooking them in butter for the best Sear,you can cook them in vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil if prefeerd.

What is the secret to perfect scallops? ›

The secret is that you just pat them dry (buy dry-packed scallops), season with salt and pepper, and put them in a hot pan coated with oil and you leave them alone. Don't touch them. Don't move them.

Do you cook scallops on high or low heat? ›

After searing a few batches, we determined that scallops are perfectly cooked when their centers reach 115 degrees. Because scallops are so small and are usually cooked over high heat, carryover cooking will add another 10 to 15 degrees, for an ideal final temperature of 125 to 130 degrees.

What to put on scallops when cooking? ›

Scallops need little more than butter or olive oil, seasoning, fresh herbs, and a few minutes on the stovetop before they're golden, and ready to served. It's that easy.

How many scallops per person? ›

How many scallops should you serve? If you're serving scallops as a main course with sides, plan on around 6 ounces per person. That would be 4-6 large (U10) sea scallops and 8-10 medium sized.

What veggies go best with scallops? ›

Our Favorite Side Dishes for Scallops
  • 01 of 10. Refreshing Summer Squash Salad. ...
  • 02 of 10. Peas and Pancetta. ...
  • 03 of 10. Mom's Zucchini Pie. ...
  • 04 of 10. Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Shallots. ...
  • 05 of 10. Delicious Creamed Kale with Mushrooms. ...
  • 06 of 10. Garlic-Herb Linguine. ...
  • 07 of 10. Roasted Sugar Snap Peas. ...
  • 08 of 10.
Dec 1, 2020

Should you rinse scallops before cooking? ›

Give your scallops a quick rinse to remove any grit, then thoroughly pat dry with a few paper towels, as excess moisture will inhibit searing. For added insurance, you can dry your scallops in the fridge for an hour or two before cooking.

How to season scallops for cooking? ›

Pat the scallops very dry with paper towels, then season on one side with salt and pepper RIGHT before cooking and no sooner. Carefully place the scallops in the hot oil, seasoned side down, and let cook, undisturbed for about 2 minutes or until nicely browned around the bottom. Season the other side while they cook.

What is the best oil for searing scallops? ›

What type of oil should you use to cook scallops? A light, neutral oil with a high smoke point. Extra virgin olive oil will begin to smoke immediately over high heat. Instead, reach for grapeseed oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.

Do I need to soak scallops in milk? ›

Soaking scallops in milk

According to Livestrong.com, the milk will neutralize any fishy notes and aromas while also making the flesh more tender. Not only is this milk-soaking technique effective for scallops, but it also works for a range of seafood and fish.

Should you rinse fish after soaking in milk? ›

Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion.

What does soaking seafood in milk do? ›

Before cooking, soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes

In this scenario, the protein in the milk binds with the compounds that cause that fishy odor, in essence extracting if from the fish.

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