Buzzard's Bay Bourbon Scallops

Any recipe that gives me an excuse to buy Bourbon is a keeper in my book. Careful, the cayenne powder really has a kick!

Very well received, for a twist I fried our green beans in the saucepan after steaming, added a bit of chili paste and the meal was excellent :)

This was a treat. I did sear my scallops before making the bourbon sauce but that was my only change. I was a bit concerned that bourbon might overwhelm the flavor of the scallops but it wasn't an issue. Thanks, Doug.

Fantastic!!! Can't wait to make again, it was phenomenal! I hated to use hubby's bourbon, but wow! So worth it. This was easily restaurant quality, so flavorful. As a reviewer suggested, I served it with the pecan brown rice on this site and I could have paid $20 for this dish. I used frozen sea scallops and it was delightful. I'll try w/ fresh scallops but I truly can't imagine it being any better. A real keeper. I only used 3/4 lb. of scallops for the two of us but kept sauce ingredients the same and so glad we had the extra sauce, delish! Thank you so much for this recipe, it will be used often. It probably would be good w/ chicken also.

Aside from my pathetic looking sea scallops (believe it or not these were sold as sea scallops, and I swear they were bigger before I cooked them, lol), this was FANTASTIC! I could've literally drank the sauce...It was sooooo good! I can't wait to try this again w/ 'real' sea scallops...a keeper for sure~YUM, YUM, YUM!!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing. :)

This was really yummy! I am sensitive to "sweet" foods, but the sweetness of the Bourbon and brown sugar, pared well with the Cayenne pepper and salt. Hubby said "Don't loose this one". Not on a bet! Served with Orzo which I sauteed with onion, garlic & italian seasoning (then simmered as usual). Removed the burned bits from the "excess liquid" (from cooking the scallops) and tossed with the orzo. Don't be shy, give this one a try!

Yes, this was a very good recipe. I did serve it with over brown rice covered with wilted chard.

This was sooo easy to cook. Couple call outs. The first round of butter/bourbon mix I would keep in pan and add butter/bourbon to have extra sauce. Great recipe!!!

Made this for dinner tonight , followed the receipe exactly. Superb, this is a keeper, better than a restaurant any day. Used dry fresh sea scallops. We will be eating more sea scallops using this receipe. We had with angel hair pasta and fresh green beans. Thanks for sharing.

My wife loves this sauce, now I have to make scallops more often

This dish was amazing! My boyfriend loves scallops and we were looking for something a little different and both enjoy spicy and sweet, which this dish definitely gives you. The cayenne packed a bit too much of a punch for us, so next time I am going to try it with half the cayenne. Definitely a "do over" for us - thank you for sharing!!!

Super easy to make, and delicious.

The flavor of this recipe is wonderful. My scallops never would "brown" during the original cooking step though. I think it would be better to sear the scallops first, and use the extra ingredients to be more of the yummy sauce. I placed the scallops on the pecan rice recipe from this site and served them alongside some lightly roast asparagus. The meal was delicious.

The flavor of this recipe is wonderful. My scallops never would "brown" during the original cooking step though. I think it would be better to sear the scallops first, and use the extra ingredients to be more of the yummy sauce. I placed the scallops on the pecan rice recipe from this site and served them alongside some lightly roast asparagus. The meal was delicious.

This is to die for I did not have any Bourbon but I did have spiced rum OMG talk about good! the sauce would be good on a ribeye too!

Phenomenal!

Very delicious and will definitely make again. As another writer mentioned, the next time I make this I will skip the bourbon in the first step and just sear the scallops in butter. I may not have had my pan hot enough and the scallops didn't really brown in the bourbon mixture. Then I would make the sauce exactly as written. Thank you!

Made this but adding to the sauce with more bourbon at the time then a splash of cream and served it with crusty bread before dinner to my H and friends out on the deck with drinks before grilling dinner with salad on the side. I was a super star that night, but NOW they want to come back next week-end. Thanks Dog !!!

I pretty much followed the recipe except for eliminating butter which we don't eat and just used a rich buttery olive oil. Once the scallops were seared, then I added more bourbon and reduced slightly before adding a small amount of corn starch to thicken and BINGO! Delicious!

I made a few changes .i removed the butter,olive oil, scallops, brown sugar cayenne pepper and salt and pepper it came out great

Amazing flavor, and quick and easy to make.

This is the only way we'll ever make scallops again! The flavors complement each other perfectly. Like someone else said, the sauce doesn't overwhelm the scallops at all, we made it exactly like the recipe.

I've tried TONS of scallops recipes and this is the only one I will make again. Super easy to follow, and I didn't change a thing. Served scallops over rice. Love the sauce!

Easy and very good I did cut back on the cayenne pepper

YUM! Make extra sauce! Put it over some orzo, a bag of steamed/frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrots and it's all good.

I will definitely make this again. Fabulous

Made it just as written, perfect and yummy, will surely make it again

If you like lightly sweet, you'll love this recipe. It was so easy and fast. An elegant quick dinner.

This is exceptional. I have made it a few times and have tweaked the recipe a little each time for different crowds (sometimes a little sriracha, sometimes chipotle powder, sometimes honey, just mix it up), and it turns out well every time. I will say for anyone who is not super experienced, watch the cook time on your scallops, and definitely don't over do the oil, the separation can get pretty bad if you're not careful.

This is GREAT, as is

Best scallops ever!

This is a great scallops dish, but how many of us cook 2 pounds of scallops? I scaled down the recipe for two by trial and error and now it is my go-to scallop dish. It is quick and easy to make, but oh, so good. Don't scrimp on the cayenne though. I like this served over toasted oat wheat bread. The crunch from the toast will cancel the occasional grain of sand in the scallops.

Quick, easy and excellent flavor! Served as suggested over a bed of angel hair pasta, with a nice salad and some green beans. Big hit with company.

The mix of flavors was definitely unique. I would probably reduce the cayenne a bit but I am definitely a lower spice diner. This was a nice change. I will probably make it again, but I don't know if it will be a regular addition ot our menu. My husband called the sauce a "spicy caramel" :)

Great recipe. Will make it again for sure. Even good with small bay scallops. This is a keeper

so delicious!

This recipe was scrumptious and I didn't change one thing!

just made this tonight. very tasty. served on Pecan Brown rice.

Awesome recipe and real easy to prepare.

I tried this recipe with the small sea scallops and they still turned out quite tasty. The sauce is oh so good so it really didn't matter too much. Next time, I shall use the large sea scallops and sear them first.

i have been negligent in rating this recipe. I make a weekly menu on sunday and this often shows up on a catholic Friday. awesome recipe. I serve over cheese grits with a kale salad.

Made these for my family and they all loved them. Just the right amount of spice!

This was so good, easy and fast! The only change I would make is to not bother throwing out the first sauce. After I took the scallops out, I added the rest of the ingredients and had lots of sauce. Delicious over fettuccine!

Taste was great. Medium high for the sauce as too high — the sauce separated and the brown sugar clumped.

Easy & delicious. I added spinach (as I saw in the picture) and served it over polenta.

Loved it as written...plated over sautéed swiss chard.

I did sear the scallops in the olive oil and 1 tbs. of butter first. Removed them from the pan and added everything else. Once alcohol burned off I added the scallops again for one minute to heat up. Next time I will cut back on the butter as sauce was oily burnt delicious

Over Jasmine rice with veggies, good meal.

Made this last night it was excellent. I served it on a bed of spinach. Next time I will make the sauce last. Other than that this was very simple and quick meal

Great recipe!! Awesome sauce!

Great recipe. Like others I only cook the scallops in oil then add the sauce when plating. I also use hot honey instead of the brown sugar and cayenne. And I use half soy half roast beef base in place of all of the soy sauce. Some of the best scallops I’ve ever ate!

no the bourbon overwhelmed the taste of the scallops

Excellent

This was incredibly good, and incredibly easy. I prepared the same amount of sauce for 12 oz of scallops for two people. 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper only gave it a perfect bite - no salt or black pepper. After preparing the sauce, I stirred the cooked scallops back into the sauce, and it coated beautifully. Served with pesto coated angel hair pasta and oven roasted asparagus.... oh my my. PS ... I do believe that the sauce would be amazing on a rare grilled filet mignon as has been mentioned by many others. :)

Super easy and delicious. Serves with Basmati rice and chard I wilted between steps 1 and 2.

Really nice change from garlic and butter sautéed scallops that i usually make. Next time I will make more sauce. Used a Trader Joe’s Indian mix rice to serve it over. It was delicious.

Bake some sweet potatoes and serve the scallops on top. With the sauce and scallops, best sweet potatoes ever!

Absolutely incredible. I don't know if the bourbon is necessary in the first cook or not, but it doesn't hurt. Just make sure to cook out all the liquid and drain it well the first round. The second round is heaven. Great sauce.

Tasty and sweet

Definitely will make again! Followed recipe exactly and served with angel hair pasta. Make sure scallops are dry before adding to a very hot skillet. Nicely browned, giving it a great eye appeal.

I doubled the recipe using large shrimp and sea scallops. I browned the scallops in some butter first, cooked the sauce and then added the shrimp. Removed the shrimp, wilted some spinach in the sauce and removed the spinach . Then I thickened the sauce with some cornstarch before pouring it over the seafood and spinach. The seafood was great, cooked just right, but the flavor was just okay. The bourbon flavor was stronger than I'd prefer (despite subbing 25% of it with water) and the brown sugar gave the sauce a caramel like taste. Despite the odd combination of flavours, it was still palatable.

The sauce didn't turn out, so I'll try it again.

I made it. Ok. No way to brown in the liquid n just ok. Wont do again. Not sure where you get al these get reviews

Delicious, with just the right amount of heat from the Cayenne pepper. The short cooking time was right as well, because over-cooking scallops makes them rubbery. I’ll definitely make these again. My husband and I usually have scallops for Christmas Eve, a special dinner.

Made these with roasted veggies. Yes I will make again

This recipe has great flavor, make sure you take the muscle off the side of the scallops and dry them thoroughly! I substituted brown sugar Splenda for the brown sugar!

so easy and delicious! served over parmesan pasta.. made the sauce to put over a London broil n everyone loved it!

My new favorite scallop recipe. Doesn't even need the extra sauce.

Wonderful. Needs no changes. Will use it again and again. Will also try the sauce on salmon.

These were exceptional. Loved everything about them. Even burnt my brown sugar a little but the pieces tasted like spicey little candies.

Easy to prepare and really delicious. I loved it.

The sauce separated and I was left with clumps of brown sugar and oil.

It was fantastic. I made as directed. Served it with orzo and a side of green beans. Awesome. My husband said it’s master chef quality menu. It’s on my permit list to fix again and again.

WOW! So moist, and delicious

It was easy to make and savory

This was absolutely wonderful and can't wait to make again. Both my husband and I rate this a 5+ star recipe. It certainly is restaurant worthy. I thought the sauce might be too sweet but after reading all the reviews I was willing to chance it. I am so happy that I did and the sauce is not too sweet. The only change I made was to decrease the cayenne pepper to 1/4t. When I make it again I will increase that to just over 1/4t. The hint of hotness adds a great deal to the recipe. I made an orzo pasta with the scallops and the sauce was wonderful on the pasta. One last note, my scallops browned up very nicely just by following the recipe. YUM!!!!

love it!

I used this recipe to make bourbon shrimp instead and then made them into quesadillas with finely shredded mozzarella cheese. Delicious!!

Excellent. Left the bourbon out in while cooking the scallops, but still awesome!!!

Will definitely make again. It was so very good. If you don't like too much sweet, like me, you might want to cut the brown sugar in half. My husband is still commenting on how good dinner was.

Excellent, light and flavorful. Served over Orzo and spinach. I would recommend doubling sauce after the initial searing.

Wow! That was fabulous!! I only had a pound of scallops, but made the same amount of sauce as directed in #1, then put less butter, but all the other ingredients as directed, except I just put 2 dashes of cayenne instead of what the recipe called for (we like a little heat, but it was subtle which was perfect for us). I had brown rice cooking ahead, and cooked up some chard. I put the scallops over the cooked chard, then the sauce over that, then put that over the rice. AND as someone had mentioned pecans....I toasted some pecan halves and put them on top. That made it extra super delicious!! Thanks for this delicious recipe!!

Quick, easy and very tasty. I'm cooking just for myself so 2 lbs of scallops is a bit too much. I cut the ingredients by 8. So step one is a Tbsp of butter, a dollop each of bourbon and olive oil to cook 4 oz of scallops. Step 2, the glaze takes another Tbsp of butter, a dollop of bourbon, a tsp of brown sugar and cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt to taste. Rice and asparagus fills out the meal. Yum

This recipe was delicious! I did it according to the original directions but I think next time I will brown the scallops first then take them out of the pan to make the sauce as they would not brown while cooking in the sauce.

High heat for the proper sear. Loved the bourbon.

Delicious! I scaled this recipe don for 2. A little on the sweeter side. I used crushed red pepper because I was out of cayenne. I made sure not to overdo the liquids; my scallops seared just fine. Make sure you keep the heat up to get that nice sear!