About Buying and Cooking Diver Scallops

Fresh diver scallops are among the most flavorful, delicate and sweet treasures of all the gifts the sea provides. The creamy, melt-in-your-mouth morsel s rival lobster, crab and fresh halibut for flavor and texture and are miles ahead in ease of cooking. They don’t need heavy sauces or butter to make them palatable. In fact, the only important rule for cooking fresh diver scallops is to watch the time carefully. If you’re looking for a delectable fresh seafood treat that’s easy to cook, look no further than fresh diver scallops – but before you order seafood, you should know these scallop selection, storage and cooking tips. 

What Are Scallops Anyway?

Scallops are bi-valve mollusks related to clams, mussels and oysters. Depending on where you live, the word may be pronounced to rhyme with “gallop” or “dollop.” Scallops move through water by opening and closing their shells, an action that builds the adductor muscle – the hinge that holds the two parts of the shell together. While the entire scallop inside the shell is edible – and enjoyed through most of the world – in the United States, it is this muscle that most people mean when they refer to “scallops.”

There are many varieties of scallop, but the best known are bay scallops and sea scallops.

Bay scallops are small – typically no bigger than the tip of your index finger. Their flavor is sweet, and the texture is creamy and smooth. These scallops cook within 1-2 minutes, and are notoriously easy to overcook, giving many people the impression that they are flaky, tough and rubbery.

Sea scallops are larger, sometimes several inches across and an inch or more thick.  Sea scallops are generally less tender and more flavorful than bay scallops. They cook through in 4 to 7 minutes, depending on their size, but are often served raw as ceviche or in other dishes that call for raw ahi tuna or fresh halibut.

Diver scallops are wild-caught rather than farm-raised. They are hand-picked and harvested by divers who are experienced at choosing sea scallops of the best size.

Tips for Choosing Diver Scallops

Unless you live close to a fish market, preferably one on the pier, you’re not likely to get the best, freshest diver scallops. The scallops you find in your grocer’s seafood cases may be days—even weeks – from their origin. They are often soaked in water and chemicals to increase their weight and preserve them – but the resulting loss of flavor is obvious to anyone who has eaten a truly fresh scallop.

If you’re lucky enough to live near a California fish market where you can buy seafood, look for scallops that are creamy tan to pale pink in color – white is a tell that the scallops have been soaked. You can also ask the fish monger for “dry scallops”. They should have a sweet, fresh smell with a hint of the sea, but no fishy odor, which suggests that they are past their prime.

If you don’t live near a good fish market, you can order fresh seafood shipped from many vendors. If you decide to buy seafood online, be sure to read the delivery terms carefully. Look for a market that ships daily and only ships fresh diver scallops the day they are caught.