Mother's Day Special

Buying scallops, those delicious, sweet white morsels of shellfish muscle, used to be simple: you had your large "sea" scallops and your small "bay" scallops, and you could get them fresh or frozen. Now, in addition to these choices, scallop buyers need a whole new vocabulary, including "chemical free "and" dry pack."

The most common sea scallop in North American markets, and the one that sets the standard for flavor is a large variety found in relatively deep water from Newfoundland to North Carolina. Weather permitting; they are fished throughout the year, mostly by dredging the bottom with a large rake that gathers the shellfish into a chain net.

The most highly sought after and most expensive sea scallops are called "Dry Pack" and "Chemical Free". They are scallops that have not been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate which a chemical agent which slows spoilage and helps seafood retain moisture. Unfortunately, if a little of this chemical can keep the natural moisture in seafood, a lot can cause it to soak up additional water -- increasing in weight by up to 25 percent -- and since water is a lot cheaper than scallops, there is a powerful economic incentive to "soak" them. Laws enacted in the early 1990s established the highest limit on moisture content of scallops that can be sold as natural or unadulterated. Products exceeding this limit must be labeled "scallop product - water added".  

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Like shrimp, scallops are sorted and priced according to size, such as 10-20 or 20-30 ct. These numbers represent the number of pieces it takes to make up a pound. U-10 count, which means under 10 per pound is the very large size available at the store and are also on sale this week. Like shrimp, the larger sizes of scallops command higher prices, and it's not unusual to pay more than two dollar apiece retail for the largest scallops.  

When shopping for fresh scallops, look for ivory or creamy-colored meats, even as dark as a light tan or pinkish orange. A stark, bleached white can be a sign of heavy soaking in water to exaggerate the weight. There should be little or no liquid in the container, another sign of heavy soaking. In fact, the best dry-packed scallops are often a bit sticky and have a rather strong, sweet, briny smell.