Lemony Orzo & Garlic Butter Scallops
This fresh & zesty Lemony Orzo & Garlic Butter Scallops is the perfect weeknight summer meal. This meal is light, delicious, & done under 30 minutes. This will be perfect paired with a glass of wine or light beer after a long day.
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Anyone just not into hovering over the hot stove for a long time lately? Me too, guys, me too. That’s where my Lemony Orzo & Garlic Butter Scallops comes in.
I’m all about quick meals lately and when I’m in that mood, I always turn to seafood. Seafood cooks in minutes & is perfect to eat during this warmer weather since it won’t leave you with that heavy feeling. Orzo has been my jam lately. You’re eating pasta and it doesn’t feel like it, it’s amazing. Orzo also sounds more intimidating than it really is. And it sounds fancy, so this dish feels like you’re dining out.
I should also put a warning out there that this is a lemony dish. Not overly lemony, but if you’re sensitive to the lemon taste (like Matt), just add a little at a time to the orzo & omit the zest. Another thing is that you can use shrimp in this dish instead. That’s the best part of cooking — just tasting & adjusting as you go to make the dish perfect for you!
TIPS FOR SEARING SCALLOPS
To get that beautiful golden sear on scallops, you want to be sure to do these important steps:
- Dry them very well with a paper towel. Removing as much of the liquid off the surface let’s you achieve that golden crust.
- Season them right before putting them in the pan. Seasoning with salt too far ahead will draw the scallops’ liquid towards the surface and that will 1) ruin all that drying work you just did and 2) dry out those scallops.
- Don’t crowd the pan. It may not be a lot of scallops but use a large pan. This will give them enough room between each other so they will actually sear and not steam. I used my favorite cast iron pan.
- Don’t move them around. Once you place them on the hot pan, leave them alone. Let them do their thing for 3 minutes. After that, nudge them a bit to see it they are still sticking to the pan. If they’re still sticking, leave them alone for a little longer. They’re good to flip over once you can lift them off the pan with ease.
FAQ: CAN I USE WHITE WINE IN THIS DISH?
Yes of course! Make sure to use white wine that you enjoy drinking. I also decided to opt out of using white wine in this dish because I don’t usually keep white wine on hand. After some research, white wine can easily be subbed with water plus your choice of rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. It will give that dish that subtle sweetness and acidity.
FAQ: WHY DO YOU USE BOTH GHEE & BUTTER IN THIS DISH?
I love the buttery taste of ghee, however, it’s pricey. Whenever I want that buttery flavor and am using high heat cooking, I use ghee since it has a much higher smoking point compared to regular ol’ butter. Since the garlic butter sauce is only cooked for a minute or so, I used butter to not waste my pricey ghee. If you don’t have ghee for searing the scallops, I suggest adding a tablespoon or so of avocado oil, or any high heat oil with 2 tablespoons of butter, that way the butter won’t burn so quickly.
Make this Lemony Orzo & Garlic Butter Scallops & enjoy it with a glass of rose (I love Wölffer Estate Summer In a Bottle), white wine, or beer, preferably a Corona. I’ve actually been trying June Shine’s hard kombucha and it paired really nicely with the dish. And for dessert, enjoy some Double Chocolate Fudgy Brownies with some ice cream on top 🙂
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LEMONY ORZO & GARLIC BUTTER SCALLOPS
recipe for later
Ingredients
Lemony Orzo
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- ¼ cup filtered water *see notes
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar *see notes
- 2 tbsp red onion diced; sub yellow onion or shallots
- ½ tsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice about ½ a lemon; *see notes
- ½ tsp dried parsley or basil
- pinch of salt
Scallops
- 1 lb scallops
- 2 tbsp ghee or butter
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Garlic Butter Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter sub ghee if preferred
- ¼ tsp minced garlic about 1 clove
Garnishes
- lemon zest optional
- sliced chives or scallions optional
Instructions
- For the orzo: In a medium pot on medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, & garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the orzo, bone broth, water, rice wine or white wine vinegar, & dried parsley. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat & simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed & the orzo is al dente. Turn off heat and stir in the lemon juice. Cover & keep warm.
- For the scallops: Dry the scallops really well with paper towels. Season each side with salt & pepper. Heat a large cast iron or stainless steel pan on medium-high heat, and heat the ghee until glistening. Place the scallops in the pan with room in between -- prevent crowding them so they will get a nice sear. Sear each side for about 3 minutes. You will know the scallop is ready to be flipped by slightly nudging and lifting the scallop. If the scallop does not move or lift easily, it still needs more time to cook. Set the scallops aside on a plate.
- For the garlic butter: Using the same pan where the scallops were cooked, set to medium heat. Add the butter and garlic. Scrape the brown bits on the bottom of the pan and stir the butter and garlic until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Serving: Plate some orzo with scallops on top. Drizzle some garlic butter on top of the scallops. Garnish with lemon zest and chives or scallions.
Notes
- To use white wine, sub ½ cup for the ¼ cup rice/white wine vinegar + ¼ cup filtered water.
- For the lemon juice, start by adding 1 tablespoon & taste. If you want it more lemony, keep adding the rest of the lemon juice.