What Are Dry Scallops and Other Interesting Seafood FAQs

What are dry scallops? It’s a question that any online seafood market hears frequently. Knowing the answer to that question can mean the difference between a seafood recipe that’s absolutely amazing and one that’s barely passable. In fact, understanding a lot of seafood terminology can help you choose the best seafood for your recipes and meals. These simple answers to frequently asked questions about seafood will help you pick the right fish and shellfish for your recipes.
What Are Dry Scallops?
In a word, awesome. In more specific terms, dry scallops are wild, natural scallops that have not been treated with any chemical preservatives. When you buy diver scallops from an online seafood market, they will most often be dry scallops.
Okay, so What Are Wet Scallops?
Wet scallops – and you’re not likely to see them advertised that way – have been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, a preservative that makes them absorb water. Wet scallops weigh more than dry scallops – and while you’ll be paying for that added water, you probably won’t be eating it. It evaporates when you cook the scallops, taking a lot of the flavor and succulent texture with it.
How Can I Tell the Difference Between Dry Scallops and Wet Scallops?
For starters, if it doesn’t say “dry scallops,” they’re probably soaked in preservatives. Most seafood lovers will happily pay a premium for wild-caught seafood without preservatives, so if an online seafood market is selling dry scallops, they’ll definitely market them that way. Color is another giveaway. Treated scallops tend to be snow-white and look almost opaque. Dry scallops are darker, closer to a natural vanilla color, and they tend to be more translucent than opaque.
So What Are Diver Scallops?
It’s pretty self-explanatory. Diver scallops have been brought up from the ocean floor and cliffs by – you guessed it – divers. Having divers harvest scallops is a lot more labor-intensive than dredging the ocean floor with nets, but it’s far friendlier to the environment and to other critters that might get caught up in the nets.
So… They’re Sustainable, Right? Is There Any Other Reason I Should Care?
The best reason of all, of course. Dry scallops – and nearly all diver scallops are dry scallops – cook better and taste better. Wet scallops won’t sear properly, and they tend to get stringy and dried out very quickly when you cook them. Dry scallops, on the other hand, stay plump, juicy and succulent and are the perfect choice for any scallop recipe, cooked or raw.