Seafood Skillet Brunch
intro
A bright, savory one-pan seafood brunch loaded with seared shrimp, scallops, creamy eggs, and tender spring veggies, ready in 25 minutes for lazy weekend meals.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep all ingredients
Pat 225g peeled, deveined shrimp and 170g trimmed dry sea scallops completely dry with paper towels, season all over with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Whisk 6 large eggs with 60ml whole milk, remaining 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper in a medium bowl until smooth, set aside.
Sear seafood until golden
Heat a 30cm (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat (190°C/375°F) for 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, wait until it foams and subsides, then place scallops in the pan in a single, uncrowded layer. Cook scallops 1.5 minutes per side until deep golden brown, then add shrimp to the pan and cook 1 minute per side until just opaque and pink. Transfer seared seafood to a clean plate, set aside.
Sauté spring vegetables
Reduce stovetop heat to medium (175°C/350°F), add the remaining 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter to the same skillet. Toss in diced shallot, cook 1 minute until soft and translucent, then add minced garlic and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, stirring constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add cut asparagus pieces, cook 2 minutes until crisp-tender, then fold in cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, cooking 1 additional minute until spinach is just fully wilted.
Add egg mixture
Reduce heat to medium-low (150°C/300°F). Pour the whisked egg and milk mixture evenly over the sautéed vegetables in the skillet. Use a heatproof silicone spatula to gently push cooked egg edges toward the center of the pan every 30 seconds for 2 minutes, until eggs are roughly 70% set and still slightly runny on the top surface.
Nestle in seafood
Arrange the seared shrimp and scallops evenly across the top of the partially set eggs, pressing gently so each piece sits half-submerged in the egg mixture. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 3 more minutes, until eggs are fully set but still soft and creamy, with no visible runny liquid; avoid overcooking to prevent tough, rubbery eggs.
Garnish and serve
Turn off the stovetop heat, sprinkle the top of the skillet evenly with 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Let the dish rest for 2 minutes to set, then serve directly from the skillet alongside slices of toasted crusty sourdough bread.
Tips
2.Cook eggs exclusively over medium-low heat, and stop cooking as soon as eggs are just set—residual pan heat will continue to firm up the eggs, and high heat will produce tough, rubbery egg curds.
3.Swap vegetables to match seasonal availability: use diced zucchini in summer, roasted red peppers in winter, or add 30g crumbled feta cheese for a bright, tangy flavor twist.
OMG this one-pan seafood skillet was the star of our weekend brunch with neighbors! I was stressed about hosting because I didn’t want a million dishes to clean after, and this only took 25 minutes start to finish? Game changer. I tossed in extra shrimp and a sprinkle of Old Bay, everyone went back for seconds. Even my picky 7 year old ate all her scallops! SO good.
Tried this for a quick weekday brunch before my work from home shift, and wow — way easier than I thought it’d be. I was worried seafood would be fussy for a quick meal, but the steps are super straightforward, and the flavor is restaurant quality. I added a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end, which really made all the flavors pop. Will be adding this to my regular meal prep rotation!
Made this for my husband’s birthday brunch and he said it’s better than the seafood skillet we get at our favorite coastal spot when we go on vacation! I used a mix of shrimp, scallops, and andouille sausage (don’t judge, it worked) and served it with crusty sourdough to soak up all the garlic butter sauce. Zero leftovers, 10/10. Also, one pan = barely any cleanup, which is the real win when you’re cooking for a celebration and don’t want to spend an hour washing dishes after.
Wait, has anyone tried making this without dairy? I’m lactose intolerant and the garlic butter in this sounds amazing but I can’t do regular butter. Would olive oil work as a swap, or does it miss the mark?
This recipe was so good, but my shrimp came out a little rubbery when I made it last night. I followed the cook time exactly, so I’m not sure what I did wrong? Flavor was 10/10 though, my whole family loved it even with the slightly overcooked shrimp, so I definitely want to try again to get it right.
Brought this to our neighborhood potluck brunch last weekend and people were hounding me for the recipe before I even set the pan down! It travels surprisingly well if you keep it covered in a warmed casserole carrier, and it’s fancy enough to feel special but so low effort I didn’t stress about making it on a busy Saturday morning. 10/10, will absolutely make again for every brunch event I’m invited to from now on.
As someone who can barely boil water without burning it, I was shocked how easy this was to pull off! I grabbed a pre-mixed frozen seafood bag from the grocery store, tossed it in with the garlic and butter as directed, and it turned out amazing. My roommate thought I ordered takeout from that fancy seafood place downtown, I’m not even kidding. Total win for a lazy Sunday when you don’t feel like putting in a ton of effort but want something that tastes like you tried.
I made a double batch of this on Sunday for meal prep, and it reheated like a dream all week for quick brunches before school drop off! My kids kept asking for “the shrimp and potato pan” every morning, which never happens — usually they fight me on every breakfast I make. It’s so nice having a recipe that’s veggie packed, has protein, and doesn’t require me to stand over the stove for 45 minutes on busy weekdays.
Made this after my long run on Saturday as a recovery brunch, and it hit every single spot. I swapped the regular potatoes for sweet potato cubes because that’s what I had in the pantry, added a little smoked paprika, and it was chef’s kiss. Love that it’s all one pan so I didn’t have to spend time cleaning up when I was already tired from my run. The 25 minute cook time is no joke, I was sitting down eating before my post-run shower was even cold. Will be making this a regular weekend staple.