Mediterranean Seared Scallops with Lemony Garlic Orzo

This post was created in partnership with The Spice Lab. I was not financially compensated for this post but did receive a sample for review purposes. As always, all opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!

Pan seared scallops and orzo get a delicious Mediterranean makeover thanks to The Spice Lab. Now you can get that fancy night out taste at home!

A couple of years ago, my cousin introduced me to Mediterranean food and I fell in love. I was particularly stuck on one of their amazing salads but just like most things I love at restaurants it got discontinued.

Completely bummed me out!

Anyway so I attempted to make it at home and it turned out SO good that I decided to try my hand at some else Mediterranean.

Rather than a salad, I decided to go with something my son might like. He's a huge seafood fan — meaning he'd eat sushi every day if I could afford it and he'd never had seared scallops before.

SO the plan was set! And, we had the perfect thing to make this meal truly Mediterranean — The Spice Lab Mediterranean Gift Set!

A Little About The Spice Lab

I'm really excited about this one! The Spice Lab is a women-owned and family operated business specializing in sea salts, spices, seasonings, teas, and unique gifts. Being a woman myself, I love networking with other women entrepreneurs. We have to support each other any way we can!

The Spice Lab Mediterranean Gift Set

My Mediterranean Seared Scallops with Lemony Garlic Orzo recipe would not be complete without The Spice Lab Mediterranean Gift Set. 

This gift set includes:

• Mediterranean Citrus Herb
• French Onion and Garlic
• Spicy Italian Sun-Dried Tomato
• Sicilian Blend

The two seasonings I used in this recipe were The Spice Lab Mediterranean Citrus Herb and French Onion + Garlic. I choose these two because their flavors coincided the most with what I was going for — lemony Mediterranean goodness!

The Mediterranean Citrus Herb has a nice blend of spices (oregano, coriander, thyme, etc.) with lemon and orange peels making it a great selection for scallops. This was my favorite seasoning out of the bunch! It just had that flavor I was going and seems like it would be good in a variety of situations.

Besides this recipe, I also used the Mediterranean Citrus Herb in a dipping oil, but I could totally see it working in marinades or even vinegarettes too. Versatile seasonings are a must for me since I like so many different kinds of foods.

When making my dipping oil I also added French Onion and Garlic seasoning making it even more flavorful!

The other two seasonings in this gift set are the Sicilian Blend and the Spicy Italian Sun-Dried Tomato seasoning. The latter was most definitely the spiciest of the bunch — a nice kick with great flavor!

I felt the Sicilian Blend was the least salty from the bunch and I like salt — a lot — so to me it was the blandest as well. It's great for when little to no salt is your goal (I'm not looking forward to that day!) — I mean it still has a great flavor just not a salty one.

Sorry, I am a salt-oholic 😉

And, I know the nice folks at The Spice Lab love their salt too. After all, sea salts are what started it all for them.

Tasty Mediterranean Seared Scallops with Lemony Garlic Orzo

5 from 1 vote

Print

Mediterranean Seared Scallops with Lemony Garlic Orzo

Pan seared sea scallops and orzo get a delicious Mediterranean makeover thanks to The Spice Lab. Now you can get that fancy night out taste at home!

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Lemon Garlic Orzo

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 1 tsp The Spice Lab Mediterranean Citrus Seasoning
• 1 tbsp The Spice Lab French Onion + Garlic Seasoning
• 1 tbsp fresh chives chopped
• juice of 3 lemons
• 3 tbsp fresh grated lemon rind
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded

Sea Scallops

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 lb sea scallops dry
• butter optional

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic 2-3 minutes.  

2. Stir in pasta, broth, wine, and The Spice Lab Mediterranean Citrus Seasoning; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until all liquid is gone.

3. Remove from heat and stir in The Spice Lab French Onion + Garlic Seasoning, chives, cheese, and lemon juice, and rind. Set aside and keep warm.

4. In a cast iron pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season scallops with The Spice Lab seasonings; front and back. Add to pan; cooking 3 minutes per side. Serve with orzo. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I like to add a tablespoon of butter in between flipping sides per batch I do. Gives them even more flavor!

As I'm sure you know, most ‘nice' restaurants have seared scallops on their menu. And, when I say nice, I mean you're probably spending at least $100 on two people.

So I think this makes a great dish to make at home! Not only can you make it cheaper, if you are having guests — you'll wow them! They'll for sure be impressed and never know just how easy it was to make.

For some reason, a lot of people are scared to make these especially if you've ever seen Hell's Kitchen. Those guys are always screwing up seared scallops but I think it couldn't be simpler.

I highly recommend seasoning them with The Spice Lab Mediterranean Gift Set. You won't be disappointed!

Have you ever made your own seared scallops?? Let us know how it went below!