Fresh scallops, only $10 a pound!

[Jenise]

My local market was stocking the fish counter when I dropped in there yesterday morning for some chevre cheese. I commented to the girl, "those scallops are so pretty, they look fresh". Typically, this store would only have frozen. "They are," she said. In spite of the fact that I had a different dinner plan, I caved like a cheap tent.

The other dinner plan was a "shrimp salad" of sorts, a lighter style one-dish meal since we were having a larger than normal lunch--local spot prawns pan seared and combined with halved multi-colored cherry tomatoes that would pan sear after the shrimp with some fresh garlic, olive oil and vinegar, in effect deglazing the pan. Finished with the leaves from several strands of tarragon out of my garden and served with a loaf of multi-grain bread from a local bakery to sop with, that was going to be dinner. But now I had eight scallops and as I drove my little catch home, I realized that they would actually make a fine addition to the above salad, no other changes required.

When I laid out my mis en place, it became obvious that the scallops should be seared off first, so I salted them and proceeded. But one fell apart a bit in the pan (because I poked it wrong with my tongs) so I fished out that piece and snuck that bite, or so I thought, while my husband was pouring us each a glass of Clos Pegase's Mitsuko's Vineyard chardonnay (one of my fave Cal chards). He brought a glass to me but demanded a bite in trade. He got it, and then I got a bite and then he got another bite and they were incredibly sweet and lusciously silky, we ended up devouring the lot right there at the stove. Kind of declasse, but if you can't have fun in your kitchen, where can you?

An interesting note, though: three of the scallops were pink, five were white. I've tested this before and not found any difference, but maybe those other times I was dealing with frozen scallops because yesterday with these fresh scallops, the difference was unmistakeable. And I'm sure of this: after finding the first pink scallop richer, we cut the other two up into about ten bites total and basically took turns being fed the two colors of scallop blindfolded. We both scored 100% on guessing which color we'd just been fed: the pink ones were about 30% denser in texture, and maybe 20% richer in flavor.

I'm about to head to the store for more. Not knowing when I'll run into a deal like this again, my inner glutton has taken over the menu planning and I'm doing three dishes: pan-seared with sun-dried tomato buerre blanc (inspired by a recipe of Betty Lu Kessler's), baked with duxelle and white truffle oil in puff pastry (a Daniel Boulud treatment), and pan seared with pureed pea Chinese dumpling and lemon-truffle vinaigrette (my idea).

Thank god I stocked up on chardonnay recently.

Jenise, were they dry packed? Also, from what I have read about scallops, the pink are the ones to look for. Whenever I see them I ask for all pink, but they won't sell them that way. I've even seen some golden ones. I can't find the dry pack here, and I always get someone who plays dumb and has no clue what I mean. One fish monger told me they are too expensive so they don't order them. Just once, I'd like to have them.

Siblings under the skin are we!
I bought 2/3 of a pound of dry-pack scallops and seared them in garlic-infused clarified butter on Friday. I served them to myself with rice and crookneck squash, steamed with some fresh basil.

I agree that the pink ones are to be requested, if you see them. They're firmer and tastier (not necessarily sweeter) than the white ones. I have no idea what the little critters might have been eating to make the difference.

BTW, I've also eaten skate, which I understand is sometimes sold as "scallops" after using a cookie-cutter on the meat. It's sufficiently similar that in a casserole or bouillabaisse or breaded and fried, I doubt I'd know the difference, but in a simple dish such as seared, or steamed and served over rice with greens, the difference in texture would be evident.

John

[Jenise]

Jenise, were they dry packed? Also, from what I have read about scallops, the pink are the ones to look for. Whenever I see them I ask for all pink, but they won't sell them that way. I've even seen some golden ones. I can't find the dry pack here, and I always get someone who plays dumb and has no clue what I mean. One fish monger told me they are too expensive so they don't order them. Just once, I'd like to have them.

Yes, and the fishmonger even had the sense to place them on butcher paper so that they didn't have direct contact with the ice nor could they get wet. My god were they good!

[Jenise]

They're firmer and tastier (not necessarily sweeter) than the white ones. I have no idea what the little critters might have been eating to make the difference.

BTW, I've also eaten skate, which I understand is sometimes sold as "scallops" after using a cookie-cutter on the meat. It's sufficiently similar that in a casserole or bouillabaisse or breaded and fried, I doubt I'd know the difference, but in a simple dish such as seared, or steamed and served over rice with greens, the difference in texture would be evident.

John

I heard that about skate from a fishmonger when I lived in Alaska (and I moved from there 15 years ago) so I'm thinking maybe this is more infamous and well-remembered than commonly done. Anymore, most people could eyeball that one, don't you think?

About what they eat, I dunno! You'd think shrimp--usual culprit for pink/orange coloring--but all those scallops were harvested from the same place, so it doesn't make sense that somehow one would have a different diet. Of the scallops I had to choose from yesterday, there was only one pink one. On Saturday, just three. They're definitely the minority.

Here is some information about pink scallops in Jenise's area...I have read other reasons for the pink. One was that they are from deeper water.
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Pink%20scallops

The ones I bought were dry-pack sea scallops. The tray at Race St. Fish & Poultry had about 80% white and 20% pink ones. The pink is really more of a yellowish pink, or very pale orangey color.
Of course, by the time scallops are dredged up, shucked, trimmed, packaged, shipped and dumped in a tray, who knows what neighborhood they grew up in?

John

[Jenise]

Here is some information about pink scallops in Jenise's area...I have read other reasons for the pink. One was that they are from deeper water.
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Pink%20scallops

Ah, the singing scallops! Very delicious with small meats even smaller than a bay scallop. And it's the shells that are pink, not the meats. I've never seen them here or in Seattle, but I did buy them fresh once from a seafood guy in Vancouver. And I save all the shells--they're about 3", and they make great serving vessels for single-bite amuse bouches or hors d'ouvres. But they're not what we're talking about when we talk about different color sea scallops which are mostly white fleshed but the occasional pink (actually, more like orange, but I've always heard them referred to as 'pink') one shows up.

Here is some information about pink scallops in Jenise's area...I have read other reasons for the pink. One was that they are from deeper water.
http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Pink%20scallops

Ah, the singing scallops! Very delicious with small meats even smaller than a bay scallop. And it's the shells that are pink, not the meats. I've never seen them here or in Seattle, but I did buy them fresh once from a seafood guy in Vancouver. And I save all the shells--they're about 3", and they make great serving vessels for single-bite amuse bouches or hors d'ouvres. But they're not what we're talking about when we talk about different color sea scallops which are mostly white fleshed but the occasional pink (actually, more like orange, but I've always heard them referred to as 'pink') one shows up.

Yes, I know about the pink meat. I guess I thought pink shells, pink meat...kinda like brown chicken, brown eggs! I will have to look further...I know I've read about it somewhere.

I've been told that punching "scallops" out of ray wings isn't done anymore.

That said, I do loves me some skate.

The only pink scallops I ever seen came from New Zealand, so they must be a Pacific thing. All our local scallops whether bay or sea, are white.