SCALLOPS

Family Pectinidae. Marine bivalve mollusks distinguished by their colorful, orb-shaped shells bearing radiating ribs. Scallops occur in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These mollusks may be either free or attached like an oyster. The adults, however, are free in most species and can move in rapid zigzag flights by forcefully opening and closing their valves and expelling a jet of water which drives the scallop in yard-long jumps to avoid capture. This movement of the shell is achieved by a single, large adductor muscle which is opposed by an elastic ligament. Eyes are located on the mantle margin (30-40), each having a lens, as well as a retina, and an optic nerve which connect with the pallial nerve.

FOOD VALUE

Only the large, tender adductor muscle is eaten in
North America. As a seafood the scallop is unique and
commands a high price in most markets. Of prime importance to the gourmet is the shallow-water species,
Pecten irradians, commonly known as the bay scallop.
This moUusk is abundant from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras
but has a Southern counterpart, Pecten dislocatus,
found south to Florida. The shell is usually about 2
inches across and varies from gray to almost black in
color, and is found on mudflats or sandfats where eelgrass
is common. It reproduces at the end of one year,
and it doesn't live through the second year. A scallop
must show an annual growth ring to be of legal size.

Small illegal scallops are called "bugs." Because of
their short life span and intensive harvesting, scallops are seldom found in great abundance in one area.

The commercial market today depends on the sea
scallop, which is not only larger, but more abundant.
The sea scallop, Pecten grandis, is usually about 5 inches
across the shell and its color is reddish or brown. This
species is dredged in deepwater, as deep as 900 feet, and
it ranges from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River down
to the east coast of Florida.

The amateur can obtain scallops of better quality
than those commonly marketed. Because they are somewhat difficult to procure in quantity, commercial distributors often put scallops through a process of "soaking" which depletes the delicate flavor of a fresh bivalve. The small cream-colored eye, or adductor muscle, which is the part that goes to market, is placed in freshwater for several hours until the meat has absorbed enough water to increase the bulk by about one-third. Actually, this improves the appearance of the scallop in that it becomes very white, but, from an epicurean standpoint, the flavor is inferior.

HOW TO COLLECT SCALLOPS

Scallops have regionally become more abundant in
recent years because of improved coastal conditions.
The recurrence of eelgrass (which IS the shelter of scallop larvae) in many Atlantic bays and accelerated “seeding” have produced large crops of these tasty bivalves. Scallops may be taken by hand rakes, but because they can move around fast, they are more easily netted. Shellfish permits are required to take scallops, and licenses are issued by the various conservation departments. Residents of a coastal township may purchase a town permit to catch enough scallops for home consumption. A.J.McC. – from McClane’s New Standard Fishing Encyclopedia

Scallops & Pectins

Sort by: Product Price Default Pecten Sentorius Seashells See details Our price: $3.90 Pecten Pallium polished pair of shells ss289a See details Our price: $1.20