Pan-Seared Scallops with Chorizo: Quick, Easy, Elegant

This 10-minute pan-seared scallops recipe makes a good thing even better with the addition of a little bit of Spanish chorizo. The flavor and texture contrasts with the seared scallops are just perfect.

We recommend serving it all over a bed of basmati rice pilaf, another best-in-class version of a simple recipe. 

Why we love this recipe

Scallops, man. They’re just the best. (Eating a lot of them recently has rendered me inarticulate — that’s how good they are.) Seared scallops take virtually no time to make, and once you know a few basics, they’re pretty hard to screw up. And yet they seem so special. I don’t know how they do it.

I don’t care how they do it.

This recipe brings out the natural sweetness and succulence of scallops and enhances it just enough with pops of chorizo and chives. Nestled over a bed of basmati rice pilaf, it’s sheer perfection for date night, a small dinner party, or even weeknight dinner.

You’ll find all of this information in the recipe below, but I just want to add a quick note to say that success with scallops is at least 70% achieved at the store.

How to buy scallops

• Buy a pound of the freshest scallops you can find. Like all fresh seafood, they should smell good and briny like the sea.
• Buy sea scallops, not bay scallops. (Bay scallops are much smaller and typically used in different types of dishes.)
• Perhaps most importantly, buy “DRY“ scallops, meaning they haven’t been injected with a chemical solution to plump them up. Dry scallops both taste way better and sear way better.
• And finally, buy “10-20” scallops which means there are 10 to 20 of them in a pound.

Ingredients for pan-seared scallops with chorizo

To make this recipe, you will need:

• A pound of 10-20 dry sea scallops. See the section above for everything you need to know.
• Spanish-style chorizo (this is the dry-cured sausage that doesn’t need to be cooked)
• Safflower oil
• Salt and pepper
• Chives to garnish
• One recipe of basmati rice pilaf

How to prep scallops for pan-searing

You don’t have to do much to prep dry scallops for searing, but there are a couple of easy tricks to getting the best results. Watch the video in this post to see it all in action.

• First, you’ll remove and discard the tough little muscle on the side of the scallop.
• Then you’ll pat both sides of the scallops dry with a paper towel to ensure the sear as well as possible.
• You’ll sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper. That’s it — they’re ready to sear.

How to pan-sear scallops

Searing scallops is quick and easy. Here’s all you have to do to for a nice, basic sear. Follow the additional instructions below to make this recipe.

• Over high heat, preheat a 12-inch nonstick frying pan with a bit of safflower or other neutral-tasting oil meant for high-heat cooking.
• Add the scallops and cook for 60 seconds without disturbing.
• Add butter and cook for 30 seconds more.
• Turn scallops once and cook for about 30 seconds more, until just shy of opaque on the inside. They’ll continue to cook a bit off the heat, and you want them to be perfectly tender inside.

Additional steps for this recipe

In addition to searing the scallops, you’ll also do the following to make this easy pan-seared scallops recipe:

• Dice and brown a couple of ounces of Spanish chorizo (right in the same pan before searing the scallops)
• Mince up some chives and sprinkle them over the top of the scallops after plating.

What to serve with pan-seared scallops

We love these scallops served over a bed of basmati rice pilaf. You could also serve them over our favorite lemony orzo recipe. A simple green salad or some French green beans would be a great accompaniment.