Make Some Delicious Breaded Deep-Fried Scallops (2024)

Health-conscious it may not be, but most everything tastes better fried—including scallops. The deep fryer is an excellent way to cook scallops, and it takes out some of the trepidation you might feel if cooking scallops feels intimidating. After all, they're not the cheapest seafood you can buy, so the fear of messing them up is a common one. Scallops are succulent, and luckily, they are especially good when deep-fried.

These deep-fried scallops are first dipped in a seasoned flour mixture, then they are dipped in egg batter and dry bread crumbs. It's a slightly messy process, but it's not difficult. Once you make them, they can be drained on a baking sheet rimmed with paper towels. They're best eaten the day you make them.

Make Some Delicious Breaded Deep-Fried Scallops (1)

What You'll Need to Make This Deep-Fried Scallops Recipe

A Great Set of Kitchen Sheers

A Heavy Cast Iron Skillet

An Accurate Deep Fry Thermometer

“Fried sea scallops are a real treat and easy to prepare following this simple method. Be sure to bread all your scallops before you begin frying and the rest is easy. A quick homemade tartar sauce is delicious with this dish.” —Joan Velush

Make Some Delicious Breaded Deep-Fried Scallops (5)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

1 lb scallops
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil, or amount needed for deep-frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons milk (or water)
1 1/2 cupsbreadcrumbs

Steps to Make It

Gather ingredients.
If scallops are quite large, cut them so the sizes are fairly uniform.
Rinse the scallops under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Remove the tough white side muscle if not already removed.
Heat about 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil in a deep, heavy cast-iron skillet, saucepan, or deep fryer to 335 F.
Line a baking pan or baking sheet with 2 or 3 thicknesses of paper towels and set aside.
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In a bowl, combine flour, salt, paprika, and black pepper.
In another bowl, whisk eggs with the milk.
Put the fine breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
Dip a few of the scallops in the seasoned flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, and then roll them in the breadcrumbs to coat. Repeat with the remaining scallops.
Once the oil has reached the temperature (335 F), add several scallops―about 6 to 10 depending on the pan size―to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Take care not to overcook. They should be warm in the middle, but still moist.
Remove them from the oil with a metal slotted spoon and transfer them to the paper-towel-lined pan. Shake the pan gently for a few seconds so the scallops roll around and excess oil is absorbed.
Repeat with subsequent batches. Keep an eye on the oil temperature and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a temperature between 225 and 250.
Serve immediately with your choice of co*cktail sauce, rémoulade sauce, or tartar sauce. Enjoy.

Tips

Don't crowd the scallops in the pan. Crowding will make the oil cool down significantly, and the breadcrumb coating will end up absorbing more oil.
Make a quick homemade tartar sauce by combining 2/3 cup of mayonnaise with 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet bread and butter pickles and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Cover and chill until serving time.

Variations

Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning to replace the salt and paprika.
Spice the scallops up with a pinch of cayenne pepper, or reduce the salt to 1/2 teaspoon and add about 1 teaspoon of Cajun or Creole seasoning.
Use fine dry bread crumbs seasoned with garlic for the coating.

How to Store Deep-Fried Scallops

Like most fried foods, and especially fish and shellfish, scallops are best eaten right after they've been made. But you can reheat them if you have leftovers.

Take the scallops out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 350 F. Once the scallops have reached room temperature put them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Seared Spanish Sea Scallops

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
511	Calories
28g	Fat
40g	Carbs
24g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	511
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g	36%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 94mg	31%
Sodium 782mg	34%
Total Carbohydrate 40g	15%
Dietary Fiber 2g	7%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 80mg	6%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 356mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Scallop
entree
american
family dinner