How To Reheat Scallops

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Freshly made pan-seared scallops taste scrumptious. But if you have some leftovers, don’t let them go to waste! You can reheat cooked scallops without turning them into rubbery balls or drying them out.

One thing to keep an eye on is the internal temperature, so a thermometer is a must. When freshly cooked, an internal temp of 115F is considered perfect – if you like your scallops with translucent centers. You won’t be able to reproduce the translucency during reheating, so use a thermometer to make sure the centers don’t get above 115F and overcook.

If you’ve cooked your scallops to a higher temperature, shoot for an internal temperature no higher than 130F. In both cases, there will be some residual cooking, but the temperature increase will not be as high as after freshly cooking the scallops.

How To Store Scallops Properly?

First, let’s talk about storing your leftover scallops. You can freeze cooked scallops for up to 3 months and refrigerate for a day or two. Store in an air-tight container with any sauce you may have made or any pan juices if you have them. Note that frozen scallops will need to be defrosted before reheating.

The Best Way To Reheat Scallops

The Best Way to Reheat Scallops: Microwave Method

A lot of sites recommend re-heating in the oven but I’ve found the best way to reheat them are in the microwave. The key is to use a lower power level and brief time intervals. That addresses uneven cooking an over-cooking.

  1. Place the refrigerated or defrosted scallops and any sauce/juices in a microwave safe dish. If you don’t have any juices, add some water.
  2. Cover with a microwave safe cover, a damp paper towel or plastic wrap (keep loose).
  3. Set power to 90 percent and the time for 20 seconds. If you have a lot of scallops or a thick sauce, start with 30 seconds at 90 percent.
  4. Check to see if they’re hot enough (you should see a bit of steam – or use a thermometer to check the internal temperature). If not, stir or shift them around and heat at 90% power for another 15 seconds.
  5. Once heated through, remove and serve.

If you’d like a bit of crust on the scallops, heat a lightly oiled pan on the stove at medium heat. After microwaving the scallops for 30 seconds on 90 percent power, place them in a single layer in the hot pan and briefly sear on each side. Remove and serve.

Oven Method for Reheating Scallops

My main beef with the oven method is that you have to take the scallops out up to 2 hours before you want to serve them so they come to room temperature. Not only do I not like the wait, fish on the counter for 2 hours is not a great idea. That said, maybe you don’t have a microwave, so here’s how to reheat scallops in the oven. Note that this method is not recommended for scallops in a sauce.

  1. Take the scallops out of your refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature. About 2 hours.
  2. Preheat your oven to 275-degree Fahrenheit. Place the scallops in an oven-proof pan or dish. Add juices or splash water over the scallops.
  3. Tightly cover the dish with foil or a close-fitting lid
  4. Place in the oven. After 10 minutes, check to see if scallops are heated through. If not, bake for another 5 minutes.

Reheating Scallops on the Stovetop

Stove top reheating is a good method of reheating scallops in a sauce. But you can also reheat “bare” scallops this way.

With Sauce

  1. Remove scallops from sauce and pour sauce into a sauce pan.
  2. Heat at medium-low heat, stirring until the sauce is almost fully heated through.
  3. Add scallops and cook for another few minutes until scallops are at the internal temperature you like.

Without Sauce

  1. Take your cooked or defrosted scallops out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. About 1- 2 hours.
  2. Place scallops in a nonstick pan and turn heat to low/medium-low.
  3. Cover the pan and steam for 2-3 minutes. Flip scallops to steam for another 2-3 minutes until scallops reach the internal temperature you like.

Key Takeaways

  • Yes, you can reheat scallops!
  • For any reheating method, moisture is the key to keeping the scallops from drying out.
  • Reheating scallops doesn’t take long. To avoid overcooking, test or take internal temperature at short intervals.
I froze my cooked scallops. How do I reheat them?

Thaw the frozen scallops fully and use any of the above methods to reheat.

Is it safe to reheat scallops?

As long as you reach the minimum internal temperature, reheated scallops are safe to eat.

Can you reheat sauteed scallops in the air fryer?

Sure, you can…if you like dried out scallops. Air fryers use dry heat and with so little moisture in the scallops to begin with, what little there is will evaporate quickly resulting in dry, chewy scallops.

What about breaded scallops?

You may have better luck reheating breaded scallops in an air fryer. Spray the scallops with oil and place in a pre-heated (350F) air fryer. Cook for a few minutes to check the internal temperature. If they’re not warm enough, cook for one-minute intervals, checking temperature each time.

I made shrimp and scallops. Can I reheat them together?

Plain sauteed shrimp and scallops or shrimp and scallops in sauce can be reheated together following the same methods described above. However, the minimum internal temperature for shrimp is 120F. That’s 5 degrees more than the minimum internal temperature for scallops, but cooking the scallops to 120F as well should be acceptable.

How do I reheat scallops with pasta?

Remove the scallops from the pasta and re-heat each separately then toss together. Or ideally, store them separate to begin with if you anticipate leftovers.

How do I reheat scallops wrapped in bacon?

Use the oven method for these, placing the bacon wrapped scallops in a lightly greased pan. Don’t crowd them! Place the uncovered pan on the top rack in the oven. You’ll need to cook a little longer – about 20 -25 minutes. Or, cook for 10-15 minutes and drop in a heated fry pan, turning quickly to finish reheating and to crisp up the bacon.


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