Air Fryer Scallops in Garlic Butter Sauce
Ready in minutes, these air fryer scallops with garlic butter are the ultimate in fast, flavorful cooking. Perfectly cooked scallops topped with a buttery, garlicky sauce—ideal for everything from date night to a light seafood dinner!
Servings 2 servings
Calories 220kcal
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter (I use salted, but you can use unsalted)
- 3 teaspoons garlic paste (or three cloves of garlic)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/16 teaspoon black pepper
Scallops
- 12 ounces sea scallops (pat dry with a paper towel)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- dash black pepper
- Old Bay seasoning (shake as much as you want on)
Instructions
Sauce
- You will be making the sauce first. In a saucepan, add the butter and melt it on medium low heat.3 tablespoons butter
- Add garlic and stir is at cooks for two minutes.3 teaspoons garlic paste
- Add lemon, parsley, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir until combined. Lower the heat to the lowest setting to keep the sauce warm.1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, 1/16 teaspoon black pepper
Scallops
- Take a few paper towels and pat the scallops dry.12 ounces sea scallops
- Season both sides of the scallops with kosher salt, ground black pepper, and a light dusting of Old Bay seasoning.1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, dash black pepper, Old Bay seasoning
- Preheat the air fryer to 400℉ for 5 minutes.
- Place the seasoned scallops in the air fryer basket. Leave room between each scallop for even cooking.
- Cook for 6 minutes at 400℉. Flip the scallops at 3 minutes.
- Place the cooked scallops in a serving dish and pour the garlic butter sauce on top. Make sure to use a rubber spatula to get all the sauce out of the sauté pan.
- Serve, smile, and enjoy.
Notes
Pro tips
- Make the sauce first and keep it warm at your stove's lowest setting.
- Look for fresh scallops when possible, and dry them as much as possible as they’re less likely to steam and will give you a great sear.
- I don't recommend bay scallops for this recipe as they will shrink and I'm not sure about the timing.
- The internal temperature should be around 115°F. Though truthfully I don't measure it as I find 6 minutes to be the perfect amount of time to cook the scallops to perfection.
- Take the time to preheat your air fryer. This ensures your scallops start cooking right away, giving them a nice exterior texture.
- Air fry the scallops in a single layer for even cooking. If needed, cook in batches. You don't want to over cook them.
- This is a recipe in which I use my basket air fryer instead of the tray type. I do this because I don't want the scallops too close to the heating element.
- If you use a tray air fryer, remove the trays before preheating. Also place the tray with the scallops on the bottom rung to keep it away from the top heating element.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 657mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 532IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg