A scallop (from Old French escalope, meaning “shell”) is a common name applied to many species of marine bivalve mollusks in the family Pectinidae. Scallops are found in all of the world’s oceans and many are highly prized as a food source. The brightly colored, fan-shaped shells of some scallops, with their radiating fluted pattern, are valued by shell collectors, and have been used since ancient times as motifs in art and design.
Scallops are characterized by having two types of meat in one shell: the adductor muscle, called “scallop”, which is white and meaty, and the roe, called “coral”, which is red or white and soft. Some markets sell scallops already prepared in the shell, with only the adductor muscle intact.
Scallops that are without any additives are called “dry packed”, while scallops that are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) are called “wet packed”. STPP causes the scallops to absorb moisture prior to the freezing process, thereby getting a better price per unit of weight. The freezing process takes about two days.
Scallops have lent their name to the culinary term scalloped, which originally referred to seafood creamed and served hot in the shell. Today it means a creamed casserole dish such as scalloped potatoes, which contains no seafood at all.
By far the largest wild scallop fishery is for the Atlantic sea scallop, which are found off the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. Most of the rest of the world’s production of scallops is from Japan (wild, enhanced, and aquaculture) and China (mostly cultured Atlantic bay scallops). On the east coast of the United States, over the last 100 years, the populations of bay scallops have greatly diminished. This decrease is due to several factors, but probably is mostly caused by a reduction in sea grasses due to increased coastal development and nutrient runoff. Another possible factor is reduction of sharks from overfishing. A variety of sharks used to feed on rays, which are a main predator of bay scallops. With the shark population reduced — in some places almost eliminated — the rays have been free to dine on scallops to the point of greatly decreasing their numbers. By contrast, the Atlantic sea scallop is at historically high levels of abundance after recovery from overfishing.
Seared Scallops with Asparagus
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces Scallops, thawed if frozen
- 1 Lemon
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 pound Asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 medium red Onion, sliced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh Basil, chopped
Rinse the scallops and pat dry. Set aside.
Peel one lemon and cut the peel into thin strips. Squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from the lemon and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the asparagus and onion and cook for 203 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving platter and keep warm.
Combine the lemon peel, basil and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in skillet. Cook for 1 minute or until heated through. Remove the lemon peel and discard.
Cook the scallops in the hot oil for 3-5 minutes or until opaque, turning once. Stir in the reserved lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the scallops over the asparagus mixture. Serve immediately.