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What is a Scallop?
Sea Scallops are considered a premium seafood item, primarily because of their sweet flavor and delicate texture. Many consumers aren’t clear on what a scallops is. The scallop is a bivalue mollusk made up of two shells, which may be up to 8 inches across. The pearly white meat is usually 1 to 12 inches across. A single oversized adductor muscle opens and closes these two shells. This adductor muscle is the part of the scallop that consumers in the United States eat.
Harvested primarily from eastern waters from Canada to Virginia, sea scallops represent the lion’s share of the fishery market. We prefer to buy our scallops from the colder waters of the North Atlantic, primarily the George’s Bank. Scallops are usually shucked and chilled on board.
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What to Look for When Buying Scallops
Look for scallops with an ivory or pinkish color and firm meats. They should be free of excessive amounts of liquid or an objectionable odor, having naturally a rather strong, sweet smell. The thing to remember is that with wet-pack scallops, the more water added, the more the scallops will shrink once cooked.
It is common practice in the United States to produce “25% water-added” sea scallops by soaking them in water containing sodium tripolyphosphate, which makes the scallops retain water. Hence the old saying in the scallop business, “How much do you want to pay?” Buyers can detect “soakers”, or scallops that have been illegally with tripolysulphate, by their rubbery texture and chalky white color. To be considered dry, the moisture content of scallops needs to be less than 80%. Dave’s only sells all natural dry sea scallops.
Sea scallops, like shrimp, are sized by the count per pound. The most common sizes are 30-40, 20-30, 10-20, and under 10. Natural sea scallops (no water or preservatives added) are also rich in sugar. When sautéed or broiled, they tend to caramelize nicely.
• Flavor - Distinctively sweet, delicate.
• Quality - Top of the line.
• Color - Pearly white.
• Texture - Lean, firm, and extremely tender.
• Preparation - Sea scallops can be baked, fried, poached, sautéed, grilled or broiled. Avoid
overcooking; they take from 3 to 5 minutes to cook, depending on size and cooking method.
Check for doneness by breaking one in half.
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