Carbonara with Pan Seared Scallops is one of my favourite recipes! Ready in under 30 minutes with perfectly seared scallops and delicious carbonara pasta.
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, I stayed away. The few times in my life I did try my scallops were a complete disaster; dry and rubbery. My problem was I always over cooked them for fear of poisoning someone. Time to take up the challenge. This recipe for Carbonara with Pan Seared Scallops is amazing, and is so quick and easy to make!
I bought some very large beautiful scallops, looked through countless videos on YouTube and started my cooking adventure. Using good quality non-stick frying pan worked best for searing the scallops.
I decided on Pasta Carbonara to pair with my scallops. This is such a quick and simple recipe with  gourmet flavor, an all-time favorite of mine. This entire dish can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes; a gourmet meal that you would be proud to serve to company!
Carbonara with Pan Seared Scallops
Perfectly seared scallops served with a quick and simple carbonara pasta.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for Scallops
- 12-16 large scallops 3-4 per person
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Salt and Pepper
- Ingredients for Carbonara
- 8 slices thick cut bacon diced I try to find bacon with less fat, or cut away excess fat
- 1 shallot finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic leave whole
- 4 green onions
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmigiano reggiano grated
- fresh ground pepper
- 14 oz (400g) pasta of your choice -I used Linguine
Instructions
- Pasta Carbonara
- Start cooking pasta in large stainless steel pot.
- In small bowl mix together cream, egg yolks and ¾ of cheese.
- In large skillet cook bacon until crisp, add shallots and ½ green onions.
- Smash down garlic clove a bit, add to bacon. (remove prior to adding pasta)
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain well, then add to skillet of bacon.
- Toss well, then transfer to large bowl.
- Add cream mixture to pasta and combined well. Make sure pasta is still hot in order to cook the eggs and melt the cheese.
- Arrange pasta on plate, top with seared scallops, add some fresh ground pepper, grated parmesan, and green onions.
- Perfect Pan Seared Scallops
- Blot scallops with paper towel to remove any water. Salt and pepper.
- Heat large non-stick frying pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Make sure frying pan is hot before adding scallops but not smoking.
- Add scallops leaving plenty of space between. Overcrowding the pan will drop the pan temperature and cause scallops to steam rather than sear. (may have to do in batches)
- Sear for about 2-4 minutes or when bottom is a nice golden brown. Don't move them around in the pan or you will prevent them from forming that nice brown crust. After a couple of minutes have peek under to see if golden brown.
- Turn to sear other side. (about 1-3 more minutes)
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to pan now.
- Spoon the melted butter over the scallops as the other side finishes cooking.
- Transfer to paper towel covered plate.
- Keep warm in oven, if making in batches.
Notes
This recipe tastes best served VERY fresh, so don't let it sit or Scallops and Pasta dry out quickly . Have ALL your ingredients and pots ready to go to make easy work of this.
Nutrition
Calories: 878kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 35gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 202mgSodium: 917mgPotassium: 509mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 985IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 359mgIron: 2.3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Step by Step Photo Instructions
This gourmet dish comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Brown bacon, shallots, green onion and garlic.
Stir together cream, parmesan and egg yolks.
Stir cooked pasta into bacon, onions and garlic.
Toss hot pasta together with cream, cheese, and egg mixture.
Scallops -Â Pat dry, sear until golden brown in hot olive oil, turn, add butter, spoon over top as other side cooks.
 Be sure to follow me and get my latest recipes on Enjoy another of my delicious seafood recipe Pasta with Shrimp and White Wine Sauce.
nilanjana majumdar says
These look a lot like the pasta dish I grew up making, from an old, yellowed book, that doesn’t even have an image on Amazon. Thanks for reminding me of them. Can’t wait to try, this and the older one.
Laureen King says
Thanks so much for you comments.
Navaneetham Krishnan says
The seared pieces of scallops are made to perfection but its pretty expensive over here. I will try the pasta by itself minus the scallops. Though I am a big eater of rice, my other half loves pasta. When I back home, this will be a perfect meal for other half as a belated Valentine's day meal.
Laureen King says
Hi Navaneetham, scallops are pretty expensive here too, the pasta is awesome and grilled chicken or shrimp would taste great as well.
Carrie Farias says
Good morning, I have featured this recipe on my blog for my weekly seafood round-up and have also linked this recipe to your original post so that my readers will be forwarded to your site. Thank you for allowing me to share and have a wonderful weekend. Here is the link: http://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/03/seafood-frenzy-friday-week-50-giveaway.html
Laureen King says
Thanks Carrie for sharing my recipe. Love your blog
Tara says
Congrats on the Top 9!! This looks amazing!!
Laureen King says
Thanks Tara, hope everyone has a look at your awesome recipes.
Laureen King says
Thanks JD for pinning the recipe and linking back to my blog, let me know if you try any of my recipes how they turn out for you.
Raycinqueen says
This looks delicious. I have avoided searing scallops but you've given me the inspiration to give it a try. To cut calories I think I'll try using turkey bacon. Do you think I could use egg beaters instead of egg yolks???
Laureen King says
Thanks Raycinqueen for the comments. I thinks turkey bacon would taste great, and although I have never tried it I'm sure egg beaters could be replaced for egg yolks. Drop me a note if you try the recipe with your substitutions 🙂
Penney says
Your recipe looks amazing and I'm trying it tomorrow 🙂
Laureen King says
Penney I would love if you drop me a note and let me know how it turns out when you make it. I'm sure you will love it!
Penney says
Thanks Laureen for a wonderful recipe. I substituted prosciutto for the bacon but otherwise made it exactly as written and it was awesome. I used 1/2 lb of linguine. Just a note, the recipe doesn't specify how much pasta to use, so I guessed at 1/2 lb for 4 servings 🙂
Laureen King says
Penney I am so glad you tried my recipe, great to hear about it. Prosciutto is a perfect substitute for bacon.
Rebecca Gonzalez says
Hi We made this recipe today and it was delicious. The only thing I had a problem with is I didn't know how much pasta to use. How much pasta does this recipe call for?
Laureen King says
Hi Rebecca, I am so glad you tried my recipe. The recipe is for 4 so usually you cook a pound per 4 persons.
Laureen King says
Hi Carole, looking forward to Food on Friday!
Carole says
Laureen, thanks for stopping by and adding to the collection. I hope to see you again soon. Cheers
Unknown says
It looks so good, but I definitely bombed on the scallops. When you added butter to the pan was the pan already full of a whitish foam from the scallops? I feel like this is where I might have changed their flavor? The recipe is awesome- just want to get it right- and yes, I'm a first-timer!! Please help. 🙂
Laureen King says
A couple of thoughts on what may have happened. Firstly were the scallops fresh or frozen? If they had been previously frozen, were they completely thawed. Did you pat scallops dry with paper towel? Did you preheat pan and oil (med-high heat) before adding scallops? Lastly was there plenty of room between scallops, crowding them in the pan will cause scallops to sweat rather than get a nice sear. I hope you give it another try, I certainly flopped my 1st attempts at searing scallops as well.
Helen says
Make sure to use "dry" scallops, as the "wet" ones have added liquid. Ask the butcher where you purchase them. I know Whole Foods has only "dry" scallops. And be sure to pat them dry and not crowd them when cooking.
Chris Vanderkolk says
Laureen,
What a wonderful meal i have just enjoyed with my girlfriend, as a mere rookie in the kitchen I was nervous at the thought of something as gourmet sounding as pan seared scallop carbonara, however your step by step guide was beyond helpful, and I'm glad to say that the whole thing came off without a hitch.
I used Nelson scallops, which seemed quite little but I only seared them for about 1.5 - 2 minutes per side and pulled back slightly on the butter, they turned out golden, and not the slightest bit chewy.
Many thanks!
Chris
Laureen King says
That is great Chris, how wonderful that you cooked something special for your girlfriend. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to try and I will do up a blog post with step by step instructions for it.
Wags says
This recipe looks delicious Laureen! I will substitute chicken as I'm allergic to seafood but the boys would love the shrimp version!
Laureen King says
thanks, let me know how they like it.
X.Christensen says
This was a great dish! Made it tonight and actually got my daughter to like scallops. She hates all seafood so this was a huge deal! =) Thanks for the great new recipe to add to our collection.
X.Christensen says
Loved this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. Even got my seafood hating kids to try it.
Laureen King says
Thank you, mission accomplished - getting kids to eat seafood!!
Jaime Briggs says
That's so funny. I saw that same Gordon Ramsay episode and it also scared me off cooking scallops for a long time! I find Grape Seed Oil the best for them though. Doesn't seem to burn as much.
Laureen King says
I will try the Grape seed oil, lately I've been using avocado oil, which has a high smoke point.
Unknown says
Wow! This looks so good, thanks for you time in putting this up and sharing with us.
Anonymous says
This looks like it'll make a great valentines day dinner. I'll team it up with a fried prawn starter and tiramisu dessert.
Laureen King says
I think someone is going to be very lucky!
Anonymous says
Lauren, I am a pretty bland cook but I saw the photo of your Carbonara w/ Pan seared Scallops. I followed your receipe exactly - I made the best scallops ever! My husband, who is the better cook was really impressed. I posted this on Pinterest and I have gotten over 250 re-pins and counting! Hilarious. Some people have had a hard time finding the receipe. I think you should contact Pinterest and make sure people can find this receipe. It is really popular! Thanks, Maurita
Laureen King says
Thank you Marita, so glad the recipe turned out for you. I think the only way to get a recipe more noticed on Pinterest is to have wonderful people such as yourself repin it, thanks!
Anonymous says
This recipe sounds delicious, but I'm a bit nervous about not really "cooking" the eggs...the thought of eating raw eggs doesn't appeal to me. Do the eggs really cook in the hot pasta?
Laureen King says
The hot pasta does cook the eggs to the proper temperature, just be sure to have egg mixture ready to go after draining pasta.
Anonymous says
Looks delicious, but I'm a little nervous about the raw eggs - do they really cook in the pasta?
Anonymous says
Is there a PRINT button that I missed????
This sounds WONDERFUL and wanted to print the recipe.
Laureen King says
I am working on trying to install a user friendly print button, but don't have one at this moment. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Laureen King says
I was able to add a print link to enable you to print recipe, click on print button, you will then be redirected to a printable page. (print now is at the very bottom of this page)
Abby Weaver says
I want to try making this meal this weekend for an anniversary dinner, but the egg and cream mixture makes me a little nervous...will the raw eggs be ok "cooking" just by tossing with pasta? I'm not a very advanced chef and am trying to venture out onto new food horizons! Want to make sure we don't get food poisoning :-/ Looks delicious and can't wait to make it!
Laureen King says
Hi Abby, the hot pasta will cook the eggs completely, just make sure you don't let the pasta cool down.
Unknown says
Hi, I was wondering if you used heavy whipping cream? or something else?
Laureen King says
Hi, yes I used heavy whipping cream.
Joanne says
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?
Laureen King says
Hi Joanne, glad you enjoyed the recipe. Doubling the recipe would not be a problem, works well.
Chris Hart says
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!
Laureen King says
Thank you Chris for dropping me a note to let me know you enjoyed the recipe. Great adaptations!
Laureen King says
terrific Rachel
Sue Mc says
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!
Laureen King says
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.
Mark G says
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!
Laureen King says
Hey Mark you would use 400 gram box for 4 people
Mark G says
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.
Laureen King says
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.
Jason Kang says
I have to say that these pics are gorgeous and looks delicious!! Love it! 🙂
Laureen King says
Thank you so much Jason.
Rachel Page says
Yum! I normally don't add cream to it. Just pancetta, yolks, lot of parmesan cheese and black pepper.
Roberta says
I will definitely trying this tonight. Never done scallops before but my husband always loves my pasta. Thanks for the inspiration.
Laureen King says
Your welcome Roberta, I hope you and your husband enjoy the recipe.
Ginnie gibson says
I made this. It turned out awesome. Restaurant quality.
Laureen King says
That is super Ginnie, thanks for dropping me a note, much appreciated!
Laureen King says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Gary, but sorry I don't break my recipes down into nutritional content.
Laureen King says
Let me know how you make out, love to hear back, Diana.
Diana Cox says
Looks delicious!!! My husbands birthday is today and scallops are his favorite. I am cooking this tonight. Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Laureen King says
Hope he enjoys it Diana, Happy Birthday to your husband.
Josie says
This turned out AMAZING
Laureen King says
Thank Josie for the comment
Stacey says
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!
Laureen King says
HI Stacey, great idea to use the spaghetti squash, I love spaghetti squash!
Erika tate says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Love love
Laureen King says
Wonderful Erika, so glad you enjoyed the recipe
Sarah K. says
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.
Laureen King says
Thank you so much Sarah for the huge compliment. So glad your parents loved it.
Shoni says
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. 🙂
Laureen King says
Thank you Shoni, how special of you to make this for your Husband. Glad he enjoyed it.
Cheri says
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!
Laureen King says
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!
Daryl Munoz says
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.
Laureen King says
Hi Daryl, I've made this with shrimp and also chicken. Family loves it, so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Kristyn says
My husband and I made this recipe last night. The scallops came out perfect. (We purchased a 32oz frozen bag - for two people we got 3 meals out of it, but for a family of four a scallop meal could be $$.) We felt the pasta was a bit dry. Your recipe calls for 14oz of pasta, it's possible I used too much linguine (grabbed a handful out of a 16oz box). I feel like I need to double the cream sauce recipe next time. We added a handful of frozen peas to the boiling pasta water, love the color and texture it added to the recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipe - we will definitely make this one again!
Laureen King says
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.
Athena says
AMAZING! Thank you for sharing! We loved it!
Laureen King says
Thanks Athena for the comment 🙂
Ashley says
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!!!
Laureen King says
This is one of my favourite recipes Ashley, so appreciative you took the time to leave a comment
Pat says
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.
Laureen King says
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.
CarolAnn says
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!
Laureen King says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe CarolAnn, great adaptations you made.
Lupe M says
This is a go to meal at my house. Since I make it quite often, I substituted the scallops for shrimp since it’s less expensive. Great recipe! Thank you!
Laureen King says
Thanks Lupe, I make this recipe with shrimp a lot as well. So glad you and your family enjoy it.
Linda says
Delicious! Hubby really liked it. I used smoked applewood bacon cuz I had it on hand.
Shelley says
I just made this tonight for my husband for Valentine's and it was amazing. I will try with shrimp next time.
Thanks for sharing.
Laureen King says
You're husband is a lucky man Shelley that you took the time to make him something special for Valentines. S happy you both enjoyed the recipe. I've made this recipe many times with shrimp and it is terrific.
Gayla says
This was fantastic! Only thing I added was two hand fulls of chopped baby kale in with the bacon mixture and a splash of white wine. Thank you!
Laureen King says
Thank you Gayla, baby kale is a great addition, yum!
Ashley says
Was very delicious!!! Only thing, I like creamy pasta so will definitely make a little extra sauce!
Bonnie says
Delicious. Fresh wild caught scallops. I wanted a special recipe to compliment these scallops. Met my expectations. Thank you
Laureen King says
Thank you Bonnie!!
Alex says
So good! It’s a keeper!
Laureen King says
Thanks Alex!
Linda says
Perfect combination of carbonara and scallops. Loved it!
Laureen King says
Appreciate it Linda for taking the time to rate and comment on my recipe!
Kathy says
Made this a while back. Loved it and will be making it again this week.
Laureen King says
Thank you Kathy!!
Keith says
Recipe had a good flavor, but spaghetti a little too dry. I would add more cream or milk for a little more sauce with the spaghetti next time. I also added mushrooms, 2 tsps of tomato paste and 1/2 cup of red wine after the bacon, shallots and green onions sautéed.
TRICIA says
I've been making this recipe for years. This is one of my family's favorite recipes. I make it with rotisserie chicken because we eat this on the regular. Quick and easy. So creamy and delicious. Thank you for sharing.