Air Fryer Scallops with Tomato Cream Sauce

Air fryer scallops are easy and delicious to make. Combine tomatoes, basil, cream, spinach, and scallops, and within a few minutes, you have an elegant dish that can make an ordinary dinner seem very special. Once you make air fryer scallops you may decide this is the only way to make them.

What Makes These Air Fryer Scallops So Great?

• Keto. No added sugars or other non-ketofriendly ingredients.
• Low carb. Only 6 carbs per serving.
• High-protein. 9 grams of protein per serving.
• Fast. Even with prep time, this recipe is still done in under 30 minutes.
• Easy. A simple pour and cook air fryer recipe.

I love scallops. But somehow they seem to be an iffy thing to order, even at the best restaurants. They're often a little raw in the center and I am not a fan of rare scallops.

Sometimes, they tend to have grit in them. Once I taste the grit once, I'm pretty much done with my scallops dish.

And of course, let's not get started with how expensive it is to get them when you go out. They're not exactly cheap when you make them at home, but I buy large bags of frozen scallops and then I tend to take out whatever I need for a meal and within a few minutes, I have a tasty scallop dish at home.

How To Make Air Fryer Scallops

I decided to try making air fryer scallops. This can be tricky because they don't have a lot of fat in them, and as a rule, air fryers do best with meats that are inherently fatty. You can, of course, make these in butter. But the day I made these tomato basil scallops, I wanted a full dinner ready quickly and I wanted to learn how to make air fryer scallops. So when I made this, I added some spinach to the recipe.

The spinach helps give it body and provides a nice protein and vegetable dish at the same time.

1. Spray a 7-inch heatproof pan, and place the spinach in an even layer at the bottom.
2. Spray both sides of the scallops with vegetable oil, sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on them, and place scallops in the pan on top of the spinach.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the cream, tomato paste, basil, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the spinach and scallops.
4. Set the air fryer to 350F for 10 minutes until the scallops are cooked through to an internal temperature of 135F and the sauce is hot and bubbling. Serve immediately.

In this recipe, the rich sauce cooks alongside the scallops. This keeps them from drying out, but it also gives you a very flavorful, low carb sauce that you can serve along with the scallops. One of the things I love about this dish is how quick and easy it is. Prep for the dish is super easy and quick. Then you just pop the Tomato Basil Scallops in the Air Fryer and let it do all the cooking work for you.

Tips And Tricks For Air Fryer Scallops

• Use frozen spinach just so that it will fit easily in the air fryer.
• Rinse the scallops well so that they don't have a gritty texture.
• Check the internal temperature of the scallops so they are cooked thoroughly.
• Try this recipe with small chicken chunks or even shrimp.
• You can also make this recipe in an oven or a skillet.
  • For the oven, you will want to cook at 375 for 12 minutes.
  • In a skillet, you will add all ingredients and cook on medium heat until the scallops are opaque and reach an internal temperature of 135F.

Can You Cook Frozen Scallops In An Air Fryer?

You can use previously frozen scallops. However, you will want to defrost them before cooking. Otherwise, they will cook much faster on the outside than on the inside resulting in those undercooked scallops I mentioned I disliked so much.

To defrost them, let them soak in warm water for 15-20 minutes. You will want to change the water halfway through.

Should You Rinse Scallops Before Cooking Them?

When I cook scallops, I tend to rinse them under some cool running water. There's no need to soak them (unless you're defrosting frozen scallops) or do any additional prep work before cooking them.

How Do You Tell If Scallops Are Done?

Air fryer scallops should be cooked until they reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees. You may want to stop cooking them once they reach an internal temperature of 125 in the pan since they will continue to cook a bit more with the residual heat.

What Vegetables Go With Scallops?

For the cream sauce in this air fryer scallops recipe, I also used spinach. It cooks beautifully in the same amount of time as the scallops. However, spinach isn't the only vegetable that goes great with scallops. You may also want to try:

• Snap Peas
• Asparagus
• Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Squash

Air fryer scallops are so quick and easy to make, you may never try to make them another way. If you love this recipe as much as I do, make sure you share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can try them too.

Originally Published June 29, 2018