As much as I like my Seared Scallops with “Tomato Butter,” I like to try new sauces with sea scallops every year. This year (summer of 2026!), I took some inspiration from Sam Sifton’s Miso-Glazed Scallops “Recipe” (what he calls a no-recipe recipe) in our archives. But while he suggests grilling or broiling the scallops, I’m still convinced that pan-searing is the best way to cook sea scallops. So instead of coating the scallops with a combination of miso and mirin before cooking, I make a little sweet and salty pan sauce from those ingredients and add a little butter.
My recipe is still “improvisational” so adjust the sauce and what you serve it with as you like. I’ve added fresh corn into the ingredients and directions, and I suggest also having a batch of white rice (I like Texmati) or Ginger Rice ready for serving.
Sea scallops have gotten so expensive that I only call for 12 ounces for 2 people here (about 6 very large or 7 to 8 large). Even with rice, it’s still a small plate for some apetites. But you can certainly scale this up.
Miso is salty so you only need to season the scallops very lightly. As long as you use plant-based butter, this recipe is alpha-gal friendly.
Serves 2
- 1 tablespoon miso (I used red, but white or any kind really is fine)
- 1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese rice wine)
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- 1 to 1 ½ cups cooked white rice or Ginger Rice, kept warm
- Neutral oil or olive oil
- 12 ounces sea scallops, foot (narrow tab on side of scallop) removed
- Kosher salt
- Kernels cut from 1 ear fresh corn
- 2 tablespoons butter or plant-based butter, kept chilled
- Chopped chives, thinly sliced scallions, and/or edible flowers for garnish
1. Combine the miso, mirin, and tamari in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Pat the scallops dry.
2. Portion the warm rice into two warm shallow serving bowls and cover loosely to keep warm.
3. Choose a heavy skillet big enough to hold all the scallops. (Don’t choose cast-iron; nonstick is fine.) Pour in just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan lightly and set over medium to medium-high heat (depending on your stove). When the oil is hot, season one side of each scallop with salt and add each to the pan, seasoned side down. Season the top side.
4. Cook (without disturbing) for two minutes. (The scallops should be sizzling in the pan; if not, turn your heat up a bit). Using tongs, check the bottoms to see if each is nicely browned. If not, cook for 30 to 60 seconds more. Turn over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more (more if scallops are very thick)*. Transfer the scallops to the warm bowls and arrange over warm rice.
5. Add a small bit of oil to the pan, drop the heat to medium-low, and add the corn and a pinch of salt. Sauté briefly until lightly toasty and transfer the corn, evenly divided, to the bowls of rice and scallops, sprinkling evenly overall.
6. Add the butter to the hot skillet, and as it begins to melt, spoon the miso-mirin mixture into the pan on top of the melting butter. There will be sizzling and some splattering. Lift the pan to slow the heating a bit if necessary. Quickly stir together the butter and miso mixture in the pan and immediately spoon it over the scallops in both bowls. (Don’t worry if the sauce looks “broken” – it will still be tasty.)
7. Serve right away, garnished with chives, scallions, and/or edible flowers. *(Sea scallops vary in size so cooking times are hard to estimate. But you’ll want to err on the side of undercooking rather than overcooking. They firm up and turn white as they cook, but it’s perfectly fine for them to still be slightly pink in the middle. With practice on your stove with your pan, you can learn what your optimal cooking time is. The key to extra flavor is the browning, so starting with a hot pan is important.)
