Best Traeger Smoked Scallops Recipe (+ Tasty Butter Sauce)

Name: Best Traeger Smoked Scallops Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 lb scallops (large sea scallops, thawed overnight if from frozen); ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp pepper; ½ lemon (juice); 3 tbsp butter (salted if desired); ½ tbsp garlic (chopped); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp parsley (fresh chopped)

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This quick Traeger smoked scallops recipe is packed with a huge smoke flavor. My method of smoking scallops on the pellet grill includes an herby, butter sauce with lemon and garlic. It’s so good! Let’s smoke ‘em…

HEY THERE — Are you on instagram? I post quick, easy smoker recipes there @sipbitego.

Table of Contents

Why this is the best smoked scallops recipe for beginners

It’s an easy, yet very gourmet smoker recipe!
Perfect for a crowd.
Fast cook time.
Super simple prep.
Use frozen scallops that are thawed, or use fresh scallops.
Includes a sauce! You’ll see how to cook pellet grill scallops in a butter sauce that’s easy to make.
New to smoking food? See my step-by-step full length video demo on the Traeger for smoked scallops with butter sauce – just scroll to the bottom of this page.

Traeger Smoked Scallops Appetizer platter

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make smoked scallops Traeger style.

For smoking scallops in a cast iron pan on the smoker

Scallops (large, thawed if from frozen)
Salt and pepper

For the lemon butter sauce

Lemon juice
Butter, salted
Garlic
Olive oil
Parsley

Cast iron smoking sea scallops in lemon garlic butter sauce on pellet grill — Since smoker scallops cook quickly (10-15 minutes), you’ll want to measure out the ingredients for this smoked scallop sauce ahead of time so you can pop them in the pan at the right time.

How to smoke scallops on the Traeger pellet grill

Now I’ll walk you through it…

Infographic demonstrating how to make smoked scallops recipe on pellet grills with captions

Quick look at smoker scallops recipe

Preheat the smoker with cast iron in it, and prepare scallops with seasoning.
Smoke scallops on each side.
Add sauce ingredients and finish smoking scallops.
Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy.

Smoking scallops on cast iron skillet in Traeger pellet grill

Detailed recipe steps

Preheat Traeger Grills or Pitt Boss or whatever pellet grill you’re using to 450 degrees F. Add a large cast iron pan on top of the grill grates in the smoker so it also preheats during this time (my cast iron skillet in the Sip Bite Go recipe demo is 12” round).
Prep scallops for smoking. First, if desired, remove the “foot” of the scallop – officially called the adductor muscle – if you see one still attached, hanging off the scallop. Then run the scallops under cold running water. Next, pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper. (This is also a good time to prep the sauce ingredients for later so you can quickly add them when the time comes)
Smoke scallops in a cast iron pan. Add olive oil to the preheated cast iron skillet in the Traeger. Add scallops and close the pellet grill lid. Sear the scallops in the smoker for 5 – 8 minutes, until golden brown.
Continue smoking scallops on the other side. Flip scallops over, close the lid again, and let them smoke for 5 minutes.
Quickly add sauce ingredients to the cast iron pan in the smoker. Toss in the butter, chopped garlic, and lemon juice. Smoke scallops in butter sauce 5 more minutes (the butter smokes as it melts and tastes so delicious).
Remove scallops. The skillet will be hot, so carefully remove the cast iron pan with smoked scallops when scallops reach about 120 degrees F as measured with an internal read thermometer (with intention that they’ll rise to 125 degrees F when served).
Finish smoked scallops. Top with chopped parsley and enjoy.

Traeger smoked scallops appetizer with the lemon butter sauce

Want another smoked seafood appetizer idea? See this tasty smoked shrimp recipe…

FAQs

What wood chips do you use to smoke scallops?

Try alder, apple, or cherry for a big smoky flavor that pairs well with seafood.

Do you have to remove the adductor muscle from scallops before smoking?

It’s up to you. We did in the demo, but actually in the US it’s common to leave this little scallop “foot”, or what’s formally called the adductor muscle, on the scallop. (and in case you’re wondering what they are, they’re used by the scallop to open and close the valve of the shell)

What’s the difference between sea scallops vs bay scallops?

You want to smoke sea scallops for this recipe for the temperatures to be correct. Sea scallops are larger (the size of a marshmallow) and bay scallops are smaller (gum ball size).

Do you need a brine for smoked scallops?

In some cases, you might want to brine scallops before smoking them to make them taste better. If you’re using “wet scallops” (also called ”soaked” or “treated”), they’ve likely been treated with phosphates (specifically sodium tripolyphosphate) and might have a metallic flavor.

To make an easy dry brine for smoked scallops, add a bit more salt to the salt and pepper step of this recipe and rest them in the fridge for 15 minutes prior to cooking on the smoker.

How do you know if you have wet scallops?

To determine if you are working with “wet scallops” you’ll want to check the appearance of them. White colored scallops are “wet” and flesh colored, almost translucent scallops are “dry scallops” (which don’t really need a brine).

What do you do with smoked scallops?

Serve your smoked scallops appetizer as is with the lemon butter sauce, topped with fresh parsley, or add smoked scallops to fettuccine pesto pasta or your favorite salad recipe.

Traeger Smoked Scallops with butter sauce and herbs

More Tasty Grill + Smoker Recipes

See my favorite smoker tools and seasonings in my Amazon Storefront.

Meat thermometer recommendations

Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.

On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:

Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.

It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.

How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.

While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!

Smoker Sea Scallops on Cast Iron Skillet

Are you a foodie, too?

Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about how to smoke scallops for a tasty appetizer. You can also cold smoke them at a much lower temperature, but that’s another recipe for another day.

If you don’t follow me on instagram you totally should @sipbitego. And for more deliciousness, subscribe to the Sip Bite Go channel and see the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.

Smoked Scallops With Garlic Butter Sauce

Why this is the best smoked scallops recipe for beginners

Ingredients