Carbonara with Pan Seared Scallops
Carbonara with Pan Seared Scallops is a gourmet recipe that can be prepared in under 30 minutes! Perfectly seared scallops served with pasta tossed in a creamy carbonara sauce.
This is a quick and easy recipe with amazing gourmet flavor. An all-time family favorite recipe! The entire dish can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. An easy gourmet meal that you would be proud to serve to company or make for those special occasion dinners, yet a simple seafood recipe for weekday dinners.
I finally did it, tackled my fear of cooking scallops. I’ve been watching Hells Kitchen for several seasons now and watching Gordon Ramsay throw countless hysterics over scallops. By following these steps, you’ll get beautifully seared scallops with a crispy exterior and a perfectly cooked interior.
Preparing the Carbonara
As the scallops cook quickly I prepare the carbonara first. Start by cooking the pasta as per package instructions.
In large skillet cook the bacon until crisp, add shallots, garlic and 1/2 of the green onions.
In small bowl mix together the cream, egg yolks and 3/4 of the parmesan cheese.
When pasta is finished cooking, drain well, then add to the skillet of bacon mixture.
Add the cream mixture to the pasta and toss to combine. Make sure pasta is still hot in order to cook the eggs and melt the cheese.
Plate the carbonara, top with the scallops, green onions, parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper.
How to cook perfectly seared scallops
The key to cooking scallops is avoid overcooking them or they can become tough, rubbery, and dry. Do not overcrowd the pan, use medium-high heat, searing for 2-3 minutes without moving them around in the pan. I find a non-stick frying pan works well for cooking scallops.
Use only fresh scallops! Pat the scallops dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. This is crucial for achieving a crispy sear. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Make sure the frying pan is hot before adding scallops but not smoking. Sear one side of the scallops, flip, then add butter, spooning over the scallops while they complete cooking.
How to know when scallops are done?
- They will have a golden-brown crust. If they have a nice sear and the crust is golden (not burned), they are likely done.
- On medium-high heat, scallops generally take 2-3 minutes per side to cook.
- Perfectly cooked scallops turn opaque in the center.
More Pasta recipes you will love!
Seafood, chicken, or sausage when combined with a creamy pasta sauce makes for an exceptional meal!
Carbonara with Pan Seared Scallops
Ingredients
Pasta Carbonara
- 14 oz (400g) Linguine or pasta of your choice
- 8 slices thick cut bacon diced, try to find bacon with less fat, or cut away excess fat
- 1 shallot finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 4 green onions chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmigiano reggiano grated, 3/4 cup for sauce, 1/4 cup for garnish
Pan Seared Scallops
- 16 large scallops 3-4 per person
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
Prepared Pasta Carbonara
- Prepare the pasta as per package instructions.
- In a large skillet saute the bacon until crisp, add the shallots and of the 1/2 green onions and garlic. Cook until shallots are softened.
- In small bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the cream, egg yolks and 3/4 of the parmesan cheese.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, drain well, then add it to the skillet of bacon mixture. Toss well to combine.
- Stir the cream mixture into the pasta and combined well. Make sure the pasta is still hot so that it cooks the eggs and melts the cheese.
- Arrange the pasta carbonara on a plate, top with the pan seared scallops. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, grated parmesan, and green onions.
- Perfect Pan Seared Scallops Directions
- Blot the scallops with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large heavy skillet, (I like to use my non-stick frying pan). Add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Make sure the frying pan is hot before adding scallops but not smoking.
- Add the scallops leaving plenty of space between. Overcrowding the pan will drop the pan temperature and cause scallops to steam rather than sear. Work in batches if neccessary.
- Sear for about 2-3 minutes or when bottom has a nice golden brown crust. Don't move them around in the pan or you will prevent them from forming that nice golden crust. After a couple of minutes have peek under to see if golden brown.
- Turn to sear the other side. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan.
- Spoon the melted butter over the scallops as the other side finishes cooking. (about 1-3 minutes more)
- Keep warm in the oven, if making in batches. Serve over the pasta carbonara.
Hi, I was wondering if you used heavy whipping cream? or something else?
Hi, yes I used heavy whipping cream.
Made this last night and it turned out really good. No problem searing the scallops per your directions. I used a pound of pasta for 4 people but next time I may double the cheese, egg, cream mixture. It was a bit dry. Do you think doubling would be a problem?
Hi Joanne, glad you enjoyed the recipe. Doubling the recipe would not be a problem, works well.
Made this tonight for a “girl’s night in”. Absolutely first rate! I lightened it up slightly by completely draining the grease from the bacon before adding the onions etc, used half and half instead of cream, and only using 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter for searing the scallops. Perfectly sauced 1/2 pound of linguine. Plenty for 4 of us with salad and dessert. Thanks so much this is a keeper/repeater!
Thank you Chris for dropping me a note to let me know you enjoyed the recipe. Great adaptations!
terrific Rachel
This looks amazing! I’ve been making variations of Carbonara, my challenge is keeping the pasta hot to cook the egg mixture. What do you suggest! I have tried heatin all my bowls, I’ve used a large wok style pan to cook the bacon then transferred in the pasta, but was a bit too hot when I added the egg mixture as it “scrambled”and turned mealy. What is the secret? Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Sue, I think key thing is to work quickly and keep tossing the pasta after you add the egg mixture. The egg mixture must be added while pasta is still hot, but do not continue to cook on stove top. I am not sure which recipe you have tried in the past, but give mine a try and let me know if you still have problems.
Your recipe looks wonderful, will be trying it tonight…Looks similar to some meals I’ve created “on the fly” but it’s nice to have some proportions of the ingredients as a guide. One note, you don’t indicate HOW MUCH pasta should be used, I going to go with a pound. You should fix that part of the recipe!
Thanks!
Hey Mark you would use 400 gram box for 4 people
I used a full box of whole wheat thin spaghetti (375g). I agree with another person who posted that it was more “tight” than I would have preferred. A 500g box of pasta would have been worse. Possibly because I used dried parmigiano cheese (thats what I had on hand) and it probably soaked up more of the liquids than fresh would have. Maybe the whole wheat pasta sucked up more liquid than regular would have as well, not sure. In any event, it was delicious. But I would caution people to be careful to not have the recipe come out not creamy enough.
Much appreciated Mark, I am actually so bad at measuring my pasta, I tend to always just eye ball it. I have always served to 4, so 400 grams should work great. If you want large servings, doubling the sauce recipe would be great. I have only used fresh grated parmesan, so yes dried would change consistency.
I have to say that these pics are gorgeous and looks delicious!! Love it! 🙂
Thank you so much Jason.
Yum! I normally don’t add cream to it. Just pancetta, yolks, lot of parmesan cheese and black pepper.
I will definitely trying this tonight. Never done scallops before but my husband always loves my pasta. Thanks for the inspiration.
Your welcome Roberta, I hope you and your husband enjoy the recipe.
I made this. It turned out awesome. Restaurant quality.
That is super Ginnie, thanks for dropping me a note, much appreciated!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Gary, but sorry I don’t break my recipes down into nutritional content.
Let me know how you make out, love to hear back, Diana.
Looks delicious!!! My husbands birthday is today and scallops are his favorite. I am cooking this tonight. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Hope he enjoys it Diana, Happy Birthday to your husband.
This turned out AMAZING
Thank Josie for the comment
I substituted spaghetti squash for the pasta to cut out the carbs and it tasted incredible. My boyfriend and I both agreed this recipe is a keeper!
HI Stacey, great idea to use the spaghetti squash, I love spaghetti squash!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Love love
Wonderful Erika, so glad you enjoyed the recipe
Wow!! This carbonara recipe was spectacular! I made this for my parents while I’m visiting them from out of country. My dad is a huge scallop lover and I think ate at least 8 of them. It was my first time tying them and personally didn’t love scallops, but they were a hit with everyone else. This carbonara recipe tasted reminiscent of what I’ve had in Italy and my parents had never tried it. All in all, everyone loved it! Saving for sure.
Thank you so much Sarah for the huge compliment. So glad your parents loved it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Husband loved it, and I got to redeem myself with scallops, thanks to your directions they turned out perfect! Being vegetarian and unable to taste it, I followed the directions as stated changing only an addition of cooked peas and using minced garlic (which I left in the pasta). The scallop-fry stink was worth it, evidently. 🙂
Thank you Shoni, how special of you to make this for your Husband. Glad he enjoyed it.
This was great! I made homemade linguini. Dare I say, though, too much cheese. No complaints, but I would cut back by 1/2 cup (of a good cheese) and add more as needed at the table. Didn’t like the green onion on top; switch to parsley. And add more garlic. Was interesting to get it to come all together at the same time but we did! Really, really good! Definitely on my tried and true list!
Thanks for the great feedback Cheri, I found the more times I made this the easier it was to have it all come together at the same time. Enjoy!
Made this the other night and it was a hit with the family. Followed your directions for the scallops but cooked them in a cast iron skillet and they came out perfect. Will probably use grilled shrimp next time when the scallops aren’t on sale. This is a definite do over, thank you for sharing.
Hi Daryl, I’ve made this with shrimp and also chicken. Family loves it, so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Hi Kristyn, yes scallops are expensive! I have done this recipe using shrimp. Peas are a great addition! If you like it more saucy definitely double up the sauce ingredients. Thank you for your feedback.
AMAZING! Thank you for sharing! We loved it!
Thanks Athena for the comment 🙂
I have never lived a recipe enough to leave a comment but wow. I mean wow. This dish I’ve made a dozen times now. I’ve used less cream or less bacon grease, more salt or added chicken. I’ve tweaked it but ultimately the base recipe is heaven. Thank you! This recipe makes me look like an amazing cook!!!
This is one of my favourite recipes Ashley, so appreciative you took the time to leave a comment
I just came across this recipe, had all the ingredients so made this for a quick dinner. Wow, fantastic choice. I’ll dump all my old Carbonara recipes. This will be my go to from now on.
Thank you Pat for taking the time to drop me a comment. So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Tastes great with chicken or shrimp as well.
I just made this recipe and it’s a keeper! I used Silk natural coffee creamer in place of the heavy cream and also added a ladleful of the pasta cooking water and was very creamy. I also had leftover fresh peas and tossed those in. His was a great dish and your instructions were clear and concise. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe CarolAnn, great adaptations you made.