Seared Curry Scallops

Name: Seared Curry Scallops
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 9 min
Ingredients: 5 sea scallops; ½ lime; 2 tsp. grape seed oil (- one for the pan, one for the spice mixture); ¼ tsp. curry powder; ⅛ tsp. garlic powder; ⅛ tsp. onion powder; ⅛ tsp. cardamom

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These curry scallops are perfectly seared, tender and absolutely gorgeous. They’re not served in a curry sauce, however. The spices are seared directly into the scallops, giving them a fantastically flavorful crust while not overpowering their rich, natural flavor. They also take just 5 minutes to make!

6 curry-seared scallops on a plate with mashed cauliflower, parsley and 2 lime slices.

Contents hide

1 What Makes This Recipe Special

2 Ingredient Notes

3 How to Make This Recipe

4 Common Questions

5 A Few Tips

6 Seared Curry Scallops

I absolutely love scallops! I love them for main courses and for elegant amuse bouches at parties! I rarely let folks stand around me while I’m at the oven, but they come together so quickly and, I admit, I have a bit of a production to their preparation so I let my guests watch the fun process.

When I turn off the heat and give the pan a big spritz of lime, the steam of juice and curry spices fills the kitchen with such an exquisite aroma! It’s a fun show. I like to serve these with my parmesan and garlic mashed cauliflower. An equally easy, incredibly tasty recipe.

What Makes This Recipe Special

The scallops aren’t drowned in curry sauce – I love curry flavor, but also love the natural flavor of scallops. This recipe allows both to shine – the sear stays crispy, instead of being lost in a sauce.

They’re done in just 5 minutes – Who wants to spend all day in the kitchen making dinner? These fancy scallops are ready in a SNAP!

This recipe only requires a few ingredients – and you probably have most of them in your kitchen already! Just scallops, 4 spices, oil and lime.

Ingredient Notes

Ingredients for making curry scallops on a table with titles that describe what they are.

Scallops – this recipe calls for sea scallops (the big ones), as opposed to bay scallops (the tiny ones). You can still use bay scallops if you like, though. You just won’t flip them once you add the spiced oil. You’ll simply loosen them from searing after 1-2 minutes, add the spiced oil, gently toss them and allow them to sear for 1 more minute after that.

Grape Seed Oil – This oil has a very high smoke point, and we’ll be making our pan HOT. This oil is the only base I’ve used that doesn’t set off my smoke detectors. You can substitute olive oil or even butter, but olive oil will begin to get smokey after about 2 minutes, and butter will get REAL smokey after about 30 seconds.

How to Make This Recipe

A collage of 4 images showing how to prep seared curry scallops.

1. In a small bowl, add ¼ tsp. curry powder, ⅛ tsp. garlic powder, ⅛ tsp. onion powder and ⅛ tsp. cardamom.

2. Add 1 tsp. grape seed oil and stir. Set beside the oven.

3. Pat 5 sea scallops dry and set them in a bowl beside the spiced oil.

4. Slice a lime in half and set one of the halves beside the scallops and oil. You want to have everything easily accessible because the cooking process will be FAST.

A collage of 4 images showing how to make seared curry scallops.

5. Place a heavy sauté pan on your hottest burner and turn the heat too HIGH. Allow it to heat for at least 30 seconds before adding 1 tsp. grape seed oil (not the spice mixture) and quickly add the scallops. Using tongs, make sure they’ve all touched the oil and spread them out in the pan. NOTE: You may want to use a spatter screen for a minute because the oil will likely sizzle.

6. Allow them to sear on one side for 1½ minutes without touching them. Flip them over and allow them to sear for 1½ minutes.

7. Quickly add the spice-oil mixture, and flip them, making sure they’re smeared in the spice oil. Allow them to cook for 30 seconds more.

8. Quickly turn off the heat, and spray the pan with lime juice. Allow it to steam for a few seconds. Remove the scallops and serve.

Common Questions

1. Can I use curry paste instead of spices?

If you would like to use curry paste instead of spices, mix ¼ tsp. curry paste into grape seed oil instead of adding the spices.

2. Should I soak scallops in milk?

Soaking scallops in milk removes a fishy taste, tenderizes them and draws out sand and other organic particles. It’s not entirely necessary, but if you choose to soak them, soak for just 1 hour and be sure to pat them dry with a paper towel before cooking.

3. Should I wash the scallops first?

Giving them a quick rinse under cold water will help to wash away fishy juices and a bit of sand if you haven’t soaked them. Just be sure to pat them dry.

4. Why did my curry scallops stick to the pan?

You didn’t get that pan hot enough, honey. It’s got to be HOT! Make sure to let it heat up over the hottest heat for a full 30 seconds before you even add the oil to the pan.

A Few Tips

1. Ideally, scallops should be purchased and served on the same day – Scallops should not be served after refrigerating for more than 2 days. However, they freeze nicely, so if you want to pick them up ahead of time, freeze them and thaw them by either placing them in a refrigerator over night or place them in a ziplock bag and thaw in cold water for 1-2 hours.

2. If you double the recipe, you don’t need to double the amount of oil that you use – If you make 10 scallops instead of 5, keep the oil amounts exactly the same. If you double that and make 20 scallops, then double the oil amounts, but simply use half a lime to spritz when you’re done, even for 20 scallops.

3. A few lovely side dish suggestions:

Mashed garlic parmesan cauliflower (this is the recipe used in the photos)
Lemon asparagus
Lemon turmeric pearl couscous
Crispy coconut cauliflower rice

6 curry-seared scallops on a plate with mashed cauliflower.

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