How To Buy Scallops

For a simple mollusk, buying scallops can sure be a pain. Like anything else from the sea, the first step is establishing a relationship with a fishmonger. If its someone you trust, then anything they have should be worth eating. If not, here is a guide to the byzantine.

Sea versus bay: This has to do with the species and size and not necessarily whether the scallop was found in a bay. Sea scallops are larger and have a more pronounced taste, but bay scallops are often sweeter. For pan searing, sea scallops, with their generous size and firm exterior, are best. In a simpler preparation, such as raw, the tender, sweet bay scallops shine. In many fish markets, sea scallops are the higher quality, more expensive offering. But some bay scallops, such as the prized Nantucket bay scallop, are delicacies with a taste and price to match. Oftentimes, bay scallops from Nantucket and elsewhere around Cape Cod are called cape scallops.

Fresh versus frozen: As the adjectives suggest, one has been or is frozen, the other not. Prefer fresh.

Dry versus wet: Many scallops are packed in a phosphate solution, which keeps them moist and white. While common, this is gross, and the retained water makes searing harder. Prefer dry. Synonyms for dry include "dry packed" and "chemical free."

Diver: Most scallops are caught by boats dragging a net across the sea bed. Indiscriminate and environmentally abusive, scallops thus caught are inferior to diver scallops, which are hand-caught by divers. The divers presumably exercise judgment, leaving the smaller scallops to grow larger. Thus diver scallops tend to be larger. Prefer diver.

Day boat: Day boat means the boat that caught the scallop went out and returned on the same day, as opposed to a boat that was at sea for many days or even weeks, necessitating storage (often wet storage with phosphorus) or freezing on the ship. Day boat scallops are indicative, but not a guarantor, of a fresher product.

Recommendation: For any scallop need, demand dry and fresh scallops. If pan searing, go with diver sea scallops. For sashimi, ceviche, and similar dishes, seek out bay scallops—particularly those from top-quality sources, such as Nantucket Bay.