Shucking Succulent Scallops

In the early 1990s, the fishery for Atlantic sea scallops (Placepten magellinacus) in the northeastern U.S. was not sustainable – the population was near record lows and fishing was at a record high. Today, the Atlantic sea scallop population is near record highs, the fishery operates at sustainable levels, and is the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. The collaborative work of scallop fishermen, scientists, fishery managers, and environmentalists is responsible for this incredible turnaround.

In addition to the New Bedford, MA scallop vessels that land 52 weeks per year, the warmer weather has day-boat scallopers working out of both Point Judith, RI and Montauk, NY. From both docks we can ship sea scallops, next day from the water, in a box together with a wealth of other species now landing. They are shucked at sea, touched only by sea water. And from Cape Cod, now that the squid fleet is changing their gear over to scallop, we are seeing a regular supply of live scallops, landing almost daily off the F/V Jessica Susan captained by Rodney Aveila. When you shuck a live scallop, you will notice scallop coral nestled around the adductor muscle- a real chef's treat.

Truly dry day-boat scallops are a special treat not many enjoy. Unfortunately almost all scallops are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. STPP extends shelf life and adds water weight to the scallops, while the FDA declares it "generally recognized as safe". We insist that all scallops we ship are completely untreated. By getting scallops to your kitchen next day from the dock, and knowing they were only touched by the sea, you can delight your diners daily. We recently got a box of scallops from Montauk, and they were so good we didn't bother to cook 'em, just ate 'em like apples. They were that sweet.