There’s no better time to start eating healthier than RIGHT NOW. Why wait until after Christmas? Well…okay fine, have those Christmas cookies 😆, but you’ll also have my “Lemon Garlic Scallops with Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes” to help get back on track when you’re ready. I promise you, these succulent, tender, protein rich scallops will be on your menu for many years to come because they are AMAZING.

Don’t Be Afraid to Cook Lemon Garlic Scallops

My husband and I both love sea scallops, but rarely have them because we were always afraid we would cook them wrong. Well, one day I saw them on my Instacart app at Costco, and decided to go for it. I read the directions on how to thaw and cook them on the back of the bag, and made up my own little flavorful recipe just by using some common sense, and experience. I got lucky, and as my husband says, “I knocked lemon garlic scallops out of the park.”

These savory tender scallops go well over mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta. Our favorite pairing is with my high protein, lower calorie mashed potatoes because the more protein you eat, the fuller you will feel. Your favorite steamed veggies would make a nice side, and if desired add some sliced tomato and avocado for fun (they add interest/color to the meal, and go great with seafood).

Christmas is less than a week away, so maybe this would be a nice addition to your holiday meals. I wish you all a Merry Christmas from my family to yours. I’ll be back before the new year!

Lemon Garlic Scallop with Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes Recipe

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Yield: 2

Lemon Garlic Scallops with Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes

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Savory, tender sea scallops gently sauteed in a lemon, olive oil, garlic sauce- served over protein rich Greek yogurt mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• 12-14 large sea scallops defrosted (I use frozen Costco brand.)
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• paprika
• salt & pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• parsley
• green onion
• *mashed potato recipe in notes below.
• *steamed broccoli, and salt & peppered avocado/tomato slices add a nice side.

Instructions

Thaw scallops following the directions on the bag. After they have thawed completely, dry them on a paper towel and pat the top and sides dry as well. Keep chilled until ready to cook.

Add olive oil and garlic to your best frying pan. I use a non stick cast iron pan, but any nonstick pan will work. Turn heat on medium low and allow oil to spread out, and garlic to diffuse into the oil just 1-2 minutes. Do not let garlic get too brown.

Add dry scallops to the pan, and sprinkle the top of them with paprika, salt, and pepper. Allow to sear slightly on bottom, being careful not to overly brown the garlic in the pan.

Turn scallops after 2-3 minutes depending on how hot your pan is, and allow the paprika side to sear about 2 minutes.

Add lemon juice, parsley, and green onion to pan and mix it all up tossing the scallops in the juice. You'll notice that scallops release juice as well so you should have a nice little sauce to pour over your *mashed potatoes (see potato recipe below in notes).

Check your scallops internally with a digital thermometer and turn off heat when they have reached 145 degrees. Try 1 scallop and adjust salt if necessary.

Notes

*Mashed Potato Recipe:

You may be surprised to learn that I use dehdrated potatoes to make mashed potatoes because they are quite delicious, convenient, and easily controlled calorie wise. I buy the 4 serving packets by Idahoan and cook them in the microwave just like the package says. When they are fully mixed and still piping hot, I add approximately 2/3-1 cup of plain fat free Greek yogurt and a little onion powder. Then I whip those babies until extra fluffy. We each get 1/4 of the potatoes (4 servings in all). Feel free to make regular mashed potatoes with fat free greek yogurt as well. Just add a little less milk, and a big dallop of yogurt instead.

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