21 Elegant (but Easy!) Scallop Recipes (2024)

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Here's your main dish for a special night. These scallop recipes are elegant but so easy, your guests would never guess!

1/21

Skillet Sea Scallops

You’ll want to slip this scallop recipe into the front of your last-minute guests file. Pasta and mixed greens nicely complement the tender, citrusy shellfish. —Margaret E. Lowenberg, Kingman, Arizona

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2/21

Scallops in Sage Cream

I wanted to show off the ocean freshness of the scallops I bought on the dock from a local fisherman, so I used basic ingredients to showcase them. With sage and shallots, this is the best cream sauce for scallops I've found. —Joan Churchill, Dover, New Hampshire

3/21

Simple Herbed Scallops

Living in Kansas, fresh seafood can be hard to come by. Luckily, frozen scallops aren’t. This dish offers coastal flavor to those of us in the Midwest. —Sarah Befort, Hays, Kansas

4/21

I created this tempting pasta and scallop recipe for my wife. It’s a terrific meal served with crusty sourdough. If you don’t like spice, skip the red pepper flakes. —George Levinthal, Goleta, California

5/21

Seared Scallops with Citrus Herb Sauce

Be sure to pat the scallops with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. This helps create that perfectly browned and flavorful scallop your better half will love. —April Lane, Greeneville, Tennessee

6/21

Stir-Fried Scallops and Asparagus

Served over quick-cooking ramen noodles, this stir-fry is perfect for busy families on hurried weeknights. Not only do we love the taste, but it comes together in about half an hour. —Barbara Schindler, Napoleon, Ohio

7/21

Scallops with Linguine

A buttery garlic sauce zips up a bowlful of linguine, bay scallops and veggies. Celebrate something special or toast the end of another workday with this dish that's perfectly sized for two. —Paula Jones, Brooksville, Florida

8/21

Scallops with Wilted Spinach

Two of my favorite foods are bacon and seafood. In this dish, I get them together with white wine, shallots and baby spinach. Serve with bread to soak up the tasty broth. —Deborah Williams, Peoria, Arizona

9/21

Sea Scallops and Fettuccine

This luscious, lemony pasta and scallop recipe is so easy, it’s become one of our weekly meal mainstays. But it’s also elegant enough to serve to guests. —Donna Thompson, Laramie, Wyoming

10/21

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Pineapple Quinoa

This is the first recipe I developed using quinoa as an ingredient. My husband thoroughly enjoyed helping me test this recipe­. This is a special dish that can be easily prepared in under 30 minutes.—Laura Greenberg, Lake Balboa, California

11/21

Lemony Scallops with Angel Hair Pasta

This delicate dish tastes so bright with a touch of lemon and tender sauteed scallops. Serve with crusty whole grain bread, and you have an impressive dinner that comes together in a flash. —Thomas fa*glon, Somerset, New Jersey

12/21

Shrimp ‘n’ Scallops Tropical Salad

A fruity dressing zip drapes this zippy salad from Jackie Pressinger of Stuart, Florida. Served on a bed of greens, the scrumptious combination of grilled seafood, veggies and macadamia nuts is the perfect way to celebrate a special summer occasion.

13/21

Pan-Fried Scallops with White Wine Reduction

I learned the art of wine reduction from a cooking class...the flavor is fabulous! Despite the fancy title, pan-fried scallops are easy to prepare. —Katherine Robinson, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

14/21

Stir-Fried Scallops

Scallops meet mild tomato in this sublime stovetop supper. Try serving the saucy mixture over rice or angel hair pasta, and garnish with cilantro if you like. —Stephany Gocobacki, San Rafael, California

15/21

Citrus Scallops

My husband and I like to eat seafood at least once a week. Oranges and lemon juice give scallops a refreshing burst of flavor. —Cheri Hawthorne, North Canton, Ohio

16/21

Seared Scallops with Polenta and Avocado Cream

This seared scallops with polenta is a really impressive dish. It’s beautiful but simple and a wonderful dinner party entree. If you can find them, peppadew peppers add a bit of zing, but if you can’t, roasted red peppers will work just fine. Shrimp can also be substituted for the scallops, if you prefer. —Katie Pelczar, West Hartford, Connecticut

17/21

Air-Fryer Scallops

I never liked seafood until my husband urged me to try scallops, and now I love it. With the crunchy breading, these air-fryer scallops are the best you’ll ever have. —Martina Preston, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania

18/21

Seafood Cakes with Herb Sauce

I live near the ocean and have a wide variety of seafood available to experiment with in recipes. This one uses salmon and scallops, but shrimp, crab, lobster or any firm whitefish (such as halibut or even cod) would work equally as well. — Elizabeth Truesdell, Petaluma, California

19/21

White Seafood Lasagna

We make lasagna with shrimp and scallops as part of the traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes. Every bite delivers a tasty “jewel” from the sea. —Joe Colamonico, North Charleston, South Carolina

20/21

Thai Scallop Saute

Just open a bottle of Thai peanut sauce to give this seafood stir-fry some serious authenticity. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

21/21

Spicy Seafood Stew

The hardest part of this quick and easy recipe is peeling and dicing the potatoes—and you can even do that the night before. Just place the potatoes in water and store them in the refrigerator overnight to speed up assembly the next day. —Bonnie Marlow, Ottoville, Ohio

Ellie has spent almost 20 years writing and editing food and lifestyle content for several well-known publishers. As Taste of Home's content director, she leads the team of editors sharing tasty recipes, cooking tips and entertaining ideas. Since joining Taste of Home 13 years ago, she has held roles in digital and print, editing cookbooks, curating special interest publications, running magazines, starring in cooking and cleaning videos, working with the Community Cooks and even handing out cookies and cocoa at local holiday events. Gluten- and dairy-free since 2017, she’s a staff go-to on allergy-friendly foods that actually taste good.If she's not in her plant-filled office, find Ellie in her family’s urban veggie garden, in the kitchen trying new GF/DF recipes or at a local hockey rink, cheering on her spouse or third grader.