Truth about scallops

I'm sorry if this has been discussed before but what is being substituted for "scallops" ?

I can rarely buy decent seafood except for some fresh water species. I broke down and bought what was advertized as
"scallops" at $15.00/#. I did not look closely as they were being weighed but when I got home saw that they must have come from a scallop that was lifted out of the water with a crane. They weighed about 5 oz each ! Even when smaller, I have long suspected that what was being sold as scallop was really a cookie cutter slice of some other seafood. Does the consumer have to ask , " A scallop of what " ?

I cut them down to small bite sizes, sauteed them with lots of garlic, olive oil, a bit of hot pepper and fresh sage which
totally overwhelmed the fish flavor but was nice otherwise over a bed of angel hair.

I think I will have to cross this off of my ever vanishing list of seafood that is available to me.

If they were scallops and the probably were, they were sea scallops. The little ones are bay scallops. We prefer sea scallops.

[Robin Garr]

the fish flavor

Christina, as Carl says, sea scallops can be that big (and I often simply cut them in pieces, too), but "fish flavor" strikes me as very odd in a scallop, which usually has a sweet and delicate scent that I don't think of as fishy at all.

I've read that unscrupulous merchants and eateries will occasionally stamp cookie-cutter rounds out of skate or ray and sell it as "scallops," but I can't evaluate whether you consider this source a trusted one.

the fish flavor

Christina, as Carl says, sea scallops can be that big (and I often simply cut them in pieces, too), but "fish flavor" strikes me as very odd in a scallop, which usually has a sweet and delicate scent that I don't think of as fishy at all.

I've read that unscrupulous merchants and eateries will occasionally stamp cookie-cutter rounds out of skate or ray and sell it as "scallops," but I can't evaluate whether you consider this source a trusted one.

So, do you think I may not be allergic to scallops, but am really allergic to skate? Hmmm.. Since scallops I ate at some nice seafood restaurants in Boston (on more than one occasion - before I nailed it down) all made me sick, I think it's the scallops.

Christina, I use an extremely reliable fish merchant. He has told me that sea scallops have been getting larger in recent years. (The last time I bought some, I was a little surprised, too.)

[Robin Garr]

Hmmm.. Since scallops I ate at some nice seafood restaurants in Boston (on more than one occasion - before I nailed it down) all made me sick, I think it's the scallops.

I think you're right. I'd like to believe that faux scallops are uncommon. I based my comment to Christina more on the "fishy" character than their size.

I've always understood that "bay scallops," about the size of marbles or a little larger, are the ones stamped from skate/ray wings. "Sea scallops" are the larger ones. I haven't seen bay scallops in the supermarkets/fish mongers I frequent for some number of years.

That's because bay scallops are overfished. The season is very short now, at least for Peconic Bay.

I don't think anyone manufactures bay scallops. That would be a lot of work. The old skate wing punch is for sea scallops, where the extra texture is more appropriate.

Sea scallops will usually have a muscle on one side that you need to peel off. It is very chewy and not very appealing when you have to try and dig it out of your mouth. The sea scallops have been huge and I usually cut them into four pieces. I also look for ones that have a pink cast to them.

Hi CG,

Ask the store to order dry packed sea scallops for you. Sendik's can get them for me for between $16.99-$18.99/pound depending upon the time of year and they are excellent. They are not soaked in whatever sinister chemical solution Pick 'n Save type places use and they caramelize just beautifully.

I once heard Emeril recommend putting a pinch of sugar on scallops... so that they will caramelize well !

Thanks all. I was looking for the "muscle" or at least an attachment and seeing none was suspicious. Good to hear that they can be this big. I'll ask about the dry packed scallops next time because the market gets their seafood from a wholesaler in Chicago.

I'll ask about the dry packed scallops next time because the market gets their seafood from a wholesaler in Chicago.

Plitt? I know they are in Chicago and distribute seafood goodness in WI.

I think one of the reasons that you see a lot of big, big scallops these days is that a lot of them are farmed. These are typically available at $9/lb in the asian markets here and are IMO a better substitute for the real thing than farmed fish is. No idea why.

I've tried the pinch of sugar trick and found that it really helps the searing. You can buy dextrose at the store (well, some stores), and its fine grain makes it perfect for that application.

I think one of the reasons that you see a lot of big, big scallops these days is that a lot of them are farmed. These are typically available at $9/lb in the asian markets here and are IMO a better substitute for the real thing than farmed fish is. No idea why.

Lee,
The farming of bivalves is a very different enterprise than fish (or shrimp) farming. Bivalves are fairly stationary and easy to care for. Oysters have been farmed since forever, and it doesn't detract from their taste at all. Fish have to be placed in an enclosed environment and fed feed. The latter is both harder on the environment and on the fish.

Mark Lipton

Scallops are actually quite mobile. They're not like oysters, which are completely sessile, or clams, which don't move very much. But they're still easier to keep penned in than fish. And they feed themselves.

-Paul W.

Hmmm.. Since scallops I ate at some nice seafood restaurants in Boston (on more than one occasion - before I nailed it down) all made me sick, I think it's the scallops.

I think you're right. I'd like to believe that faux scallops are uncommon. I based my comment to Christina more on the "fishy" character than their size.

They may even be an urban legend.

In all of my buying years - tons and tons of seafood - nobody ever tried that one on me. And they did try everything they thought they might be able to get away with. Shorting me on orders when they found out my receiving scale was away being repaired, frozen fish for fresh etc., nasty, iodiny, mushy, "dover" sole (not the real one, the fake one American fishmongers are allowed to sell) for "petrale" etc.

I once heard Emeril recommend putting a pinch of sugar on scallops... so that they will caramelize well !

Not necessary. To get a perfect seared scallop, all you need is to dry them carefully (I like to pat them dry, lightly salt them and let them rest and air out a bit). Then use a good non-stick pan, generous but not excessive amount of butter/oil, high heat and give them plenty of room in the pan. They cook very fast, so don't take your eyes off them!

I once heard Emeril recommend putting a pinch of sugar on scallops... so that they will caramelize well !

Not necessary. To get a perfect seared scallop, all you need is to dry them carefully (I like to pat them dry, lightly salt them and let them rest and air out a bit). Then use a good non-stick pan, generous but not excessive amount of butter/oil, high heat and give them plenty of room in the pan. They cook very fast, so don't take your eyes off them!

Yep, that sounds like what I do and I've never had a problem caramelizing the suckers. Regarding faux scallops, I recall some of the more famous Fisherman's Wharf restaurants being caught doing just that back in the '70s, but I have no idea what the evidence really was apart from the article in the Comical.

Mark Lipton