Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Cream Sauce
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Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Cream Sauce are cooked perfectly, then served up on a bed of that dreamy bacon-packed sauce… If you are looking to impress anyone with your skills in the kitchen, this is the one dish that’ll steal their hearts every single time.
This is how you open a date-night dinner to remember.
For Valentine’s Day this year, I wanted to give you all a recipe that will is the perfect way to show someone serious love. Also show yourself how much you love YOU.
Because there’s no other way to say “I love you” than perfectly seared scallops nestled in bacon cream sauce.
I mean, seriously, is there anything that bacon cream sauce can’t make magical?
I think scallops terrify a lot of people because they can go from silky to rubber in about 10 seconds.
However, if you keep a close eye on them, even if you pull them a little early and let them rest, they come out perfect in just about 2 minutes or less.
Really the scallops are the easy part.
I can hear you rolling your eyes, but really, they are easy!
The difficult part is keeping yourself from sticking your face in this bacon cream sauce and inhaling it all.
The even more difficult part will be trying to find recipes for the subsequent courses that will live up to this opening dish.
Your date actually might still be licking the plate to get every little drop of this sauce before you take it away.
If you are making this for your Valentine’s Day date, I’m telling you know, you’ve got the night made; she/he will be swooning for you after the first bite.
This dish is honestly the one meal I will bust out when I am trying to impress.
Easy to make and gorgeous. It doesn’t get much better than that. Especially when you are trying to sweep someone off their feet with the meal of a lifetime.
BTW, you can totally turn this into a full meal alongside some couscous and asparagus! YUM.
This Recipe’s Must Haves
The one knife I rely on day in and day out in the kitchen is this stunning chef’s knife. Seriously, having a good quality knife is the best investment you can make for your skillet!
Le Creuset of America Toughened NonStick Fry Pan and the Le Creuset of America Enameled Cast Iron Sauce Pan
are a must for this recipe, and so many others, of course!
Valentine’s Day gold, I’m just saying’…
The one thing I do have to say is that you HAVE to follow the instructions to the letter for cooking these pan seared scallops.
It’s such a solid technique so you honestly will not go wrong with it. Plus you’ll never believe just how simple it is to cook these!
All I can say is that Gordon Ramsey really knows what he is talking about.
No matter how many times I make these scallops, they always turn out perfectly cooked and golden. It’s a technique that is really hard to screw up, so cooks of any skill level can master it easily!
It’s such an incredible recipe, AND it just so happens to be keto-friendly! It wasn’t my initial intention with the recipe, but I found out after posting that it is a great go-to.
If you happen to have leftover bacon cream sauce, there are some awesome ways to use it up:
- Mix it into your mashed potatoes or cauliflower puree.
- Top your grilled steak or chicken with it.
- Use it on top of roasted or steamed asparagus (a personal favorite of mine!)
- Mix it into the filling for deviled eggs.
Need a stellar cocktail to pair with this dish? Try this Wild Berry Vesper!
Pin this Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Cream Sauce for later!
Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Cream Sauce
If ever there was a recipe to seal the deal on date night, this one is it.
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 6 large scallops
- Salt & pepper
- Chopped chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, cook chopped bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Add butter, cream, and Parmesan to the skillet with the bacon grease. Reduce the sauce over medium heat by half. Stir in the cooked bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.
- In a separate skillet, heat 1/2 tsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot (make sure it's really hot!), add the scallops to the pan. Sear until golden brown on one side, approximately 1 minute, and turn over. Sear on the other side for 1 minute until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Serve the scallops over a layer of bacon cream sauce. Garnish with chives.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 3 scallops with sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 751Total Fat: 66gSaturated Fat: 37gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 1495mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 30g
86 Comments on “Pan Seared Scallops with Bacon Cream Sauce”
Food is your love language, isn’t it? Because I seriously love you for making this. You’re right, scallops do seem scary but you’re also right that I should definitely give them a try!
Yes it is, girl!! You know me so well 🙂
There is nothing about this recipe I don’t love. This immediately went to the top of my short list for Valentine’s Day dinner!
Thank you Sarah! 🙂
These scallops are seared just right! The bacon cream sounds over the top delicious! I am sure everyone would love this, no matter it is Valentine’s Day or not!
Thank you! The bacon cream sauce is seriously too much and just right, all at the same time.
I love pan seared scallops. Especially when they are drenched in such a delicious and creamy sauce like this – you definitely have made me hungry now!
Haha good!! You seriously have to at least try the sauce – it is insanely good…
What would you suggest to serve this with if I wanted to make this as an entree? Would risotto be too heavy?
That’s a great idea! I think risotto would a great way to make this an entree. If you don’t want it to be too heavy, perhaps make a lighter risotto (i.e. not too much cream and cheese, with a touch of acidity like lemon juice), then perhaps halve the bacon cream sauce recipe and serve it on the top of the scallops. I think all the flavors would balance out wonderfully!
Those scallops look perfect! Love the idea of bacon in the sauce instead of the usual bacon wrapped scallop!
i can think of at least a dozen uses for that bacon cream sauce / well done my dear !
Just found your recipe. It sounds orgasmic! I’m off to the market to make them for my wife for lunch.
Scallops, bacon – what’s not to love!?! Will be serving these at my holiday dinner party.
Mmmmm. Making this tonight!
I’ve gotta ask, foul swoop????
LOL oh boy that’s a *face palm* moment if I’ve ever had one… one fell swoop – HA!
I added mushrooms and chopped spinach to the cream sauce and served it all over angel hair pasta. Very tasty! Thanks!
Yum that sounds delicious! I am going to have to try that ASAP 🙂
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Made these tonight. So easy and they were fabulous!! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I am so glad you loved them! I still have dreams about that bacon cream sauce…
Awesome recipe. I just made it today-fantastic! This is going to my ‘save’ list! Absolutely will makeagain
For future recipe tryers – the only thing I would recommend for the sauce is that if you leave the sauce sitting for a little while, more than 5 minutes the oil/butter starts to separate from the sauce. It’s best to make the sauce RIGHT before serving. If the oil/butter separation happens though don’t panic, I added about 4 tablespoons of the cream, simmered, whisked and my sauce came back to life
Great tip! Thank you Debra!!
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I made this for my husband yesterday for valentines day and he said that it was better than what you can get at a restaurant! Delicious!! Plenty of sauce and fyi it tastes really good reheated and served over some scrambled eggs the next day 🙂
Thank you so much! That makes me infinitely happy to read 🙂 And OMG that sauce on eggs??? GAH genius!
please be sure to put recipes with your food pictures.I can’t seem to find a lot of the seafood recipes.I’m looking forwood to making these delicious looking seafoods. Thank You
All recipes are noted at the bottom of the post! If you ever have any questions about a specific recipe, please leave a comment and I’ll reply as soon as possible 🙂 Also, here is a link to all of the seafood recipes on my site: https://www.cakenknife.com/category/seafood/!
Those look fantastic!
I’m going to make these for my daughter and I as we are the only two that enjoy seafood, but I’m going to kick it up and ad some grilled asparagus light seasoned with grated lemon and olive oil.
Mmmmm that sounds amazing!! Best dinner idea ever!
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I am making scallops as a side for Christmas Eve dinner and this is my new recipe for them! I will let you know how it goes. Thanks for sharing!
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What is nutrition facts, please? Sounds awesome!
I don’t have the nutritional facts calculated, but I do find that using MyFitnessPal does a good job if you want to plug in the recipe there! Hope you enjoy it!
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Me: I made roasted cauliflower. Put the bacon cream sauce on it.
Wife: Why?
Me: Three words: Bacon Cream Sauce
LMAO omgggg that is the best idea EVER. YUM!
We made it tonight, and omg, it was fantastic and easy. The best part is that it tasted so good. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Definitely would make again.
That makes me so happy to hear! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Made this tonight. OMG, it was soooo good! My son can’t stop raving about the sauce. I added some finely chopped onion & chopped spinach to the sauce. This recipe is a definite keeper.
That makes me infinitely happy to hear!! 🙂
I made this with scallops and shrimp and it turned out amazing. I usually don’t comment on recipes but I just had to do it to thank you. My husband loved it so much.
Thank you SO much for leaving a comment! It means the world to me to hear that!
Made it for my family tonight. Wonderful! Thank You!
Cream, bacon and scallops! On top of angel hair pasta was a great combination. Best dinner in a long time.
Oooo that’s sounds like a great idea! I’m trying that one next time I make it!
Ok first of all, I have never left a comment on anything in my life, but these were absolutely wonderful! I have always hated scallops because any time I ordered them at restaurants they were like a rubber hose. These were the best scallops I’ve ever had and my husband, who also had bad experiences with scallops, loved then too. Bonus- super easy to make. I think the bacon was the longest part. Thank you for this recipe! Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with me! It means SO much to hear that you enjoyed them so much!!
If I double the amt of scallops, should I double all the other ingredients?
Yes, I would definitely recommend doubling!
Thank you for this recipe, utterly amazing. I used only authentic parmesano reggianno and the dish turned out wonderful. Many thanks from Ottawa, Canada
I am so happy to hear that! I truly appreciate you taking the time to comment!
My WORD!!! I was so nervous to try to make scallops, but my husband (he LOVES scallops) said these were the best he’d ever had, and ended up getting a spoon to finish up the sauce! Definitely keeping this in mind for future special dinners!
Thank you SO much! I am thrilled to hear that you loved them!!
Made this sauce last night and put over CAULIFLOWER RICE …Added fresh spinach ( made it sheet pan style ) what a FABULOUS hit it was ! Served with oven poached salmon … Great presentation and absolutely delicious !!! Now Its’ in my ” sauce ” repetouir !!! Thanks SO Much !!
Made this sauce last night and put over CAULIFLOWER RICE …Added fresh spinach ( made it sheet pan style ) what a FABULOUS hit it was ! Served with oven poached salmon … Great presentation and absolutely delicious !!! Now It’s in my ” sauce ” repetouir !!! Thanks SO Much !! ( OH … BTW … I JUST USED BACON FAT !!! )
Ooooo that sounds like a great idea!! I am totally trying the sauce over cauliflower rice myself!
This was awesome. Did it just like it says and it is unbelievable. Keto too. ????
I made these tonight! I am one month into Keto, and this is the most delicious, rich dish I have eaten so far! I would pay big bucks for this out at a fancy restaurant!
It is outstanding!!!
Thank you so much!! I am thrilled to hear that you loved it!
Could you please post the nutrition AL facts. I am on keto plan but do not have access the fitness pal app. Anyone who could look for me would be appreciated. Thank you. This sounds delish and I want to try it, but I need to know the numbers.
Your timing is perfect because I just received an update to the recipe card! The calculations are now available in the recipe card for your review. Note that this includes ALL of the sauce, which you might not use. Thanks!
Can you make the sauce the day before and reheat?
Yes you can! Just reheat it slowly over the stove on medium-low heat as the sauce could break if it heats up too quickly 🙂
Second time I’ve made these. What do we call them in my house? Stupid good. Amazing. First time, followed recipe exactly. Second time used a blackened seasoning on the scallops (only change) and served over fresh baby spinach. This is a new fav and will be in the rotation permanently, both ways.
This makes me infinitely happy to read! I am so glad you love it! The blackened seasoning sounds like an awesome addition – can I ask what brand you used? I’d love to try for myself!
Made these tonight and they were delicious! Served with roasted cauliflower which was also fabulous with the sauce.
Just started a Keto diet and was looking for a big fat hit. This sure fit the bill.
I calculated the macros per serving (using 4 oz sea scallops per serving) as follows:
Protein: 30 grams
Fat: 81 grams
Carbs: 3.6
I will definitely make them again, but will probably do just half the sauce recipe.
Thanks, Meghan
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Love the recipe! But asking for nutrition facts for this recipe is like asking for them for Red Velvet Cake. ? no harm intended
LOL thanks Edwardo!
My sauce was perfect until I added the bacon pieces and then the grease separated from the cream 🙁 Not sure what happened?!
My guess is the bacon didn’t drain enough on the paper towels and the extra grease separated from the cream. Make sure you drain the bacon pieces well and pat with a paper towel if it’s a super greasy brand of bacon 🙂
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OMG the sauce is amazing. However, I could not get the scallops browned as beautifully as your images. They were cooked but not as golden. Any tips?
My biggest tip is to make sure that the pan is nice and hot before adding the scallops! If the pan isn’t hot enough, you won’t be able to get that golden sear.
I made this last year with medium scallops and it was amazing. My husband raved about and said it was restaurant quality! I am going to make it again this weekend with large scallops.
A bit rich for me. Scallops were yum though. Perhaps I put too much sauce in bowl?
Yep, the sauce is definitely rich! You can always use less sauce and then use the leftovers later – it’s awesome in mashed potatoes 😉
I didn’t have scallops but I put your recipe aside for future reference. Last week I was trying to come up with an alternative recipe for mahimahi. My current one, while popular did not work for the Keto lifestyle (Blackened with mango salsa) . I remembered your creamy bacon sauce and thought if it works for scallops, it should work for the mahimahi. I am happy to say I was correct. It was a big hit. My husband loved it.
I dusted the mahimahi with a blend of cajun, thyme and garlic salt (My cajun seasoning is salt free) and fried it up in butter and avocado oil, when it was done it was laid on a bed of your delicious Creamy Bacon sauce, with some roasted asparagus on the side (because it would also taste great with the sauce)
It was a perfect Keto meal.
Love this recipe, I have made it a few times now and it works perfectly. I don’t season the scallops before cooking as Ive read that salt can make them a tad chewy.
My fave way of serving this is on a bed of pureed petit pois, the creamy bacon sauce compliments the pea mix perfectly. Pureed sweet potato is also great and both together on the plate with the scallops and sauce is my idea of food heaven.
Well, thats my evening meal sorted, thanks Meghan.
Made these this evening. So natural and they were fantastic!! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
This was delicious. Used part whipping cream and part 1/2 & 1/2. As others suggested also added sliced mushrooms and spinach. Served with a side of au gratin spaghetti squash.