Remove Live Scallop From Shell
Method
Hold the scallop, flat side up
Use a small nice (ideally with sharp tip), slide in from position ➊, just about you feel the muscle, and do a small slice ⓘ. This is the only muscle that connects the scallop to the shell;
Use the tip of the knife at position ➋ slightly peel off the skirt (the muscle that goes along the shell)
Angle the knife towards top shell, at position ➌ and slice as closely to the shell as you can to avoid leaving scallops on the shell.
Take off top shell (flat side)
Hold the scallop in the same position, round side up and towards you
At position➍ use a spoon and scrape as closely to the shell again to disconnect the muscle from the shell
Use knife to cut off the muscle on the side (you will see a slight straight line across the side of the scallop)
Peel off everything around, then that leaves you the delicious scallop
Rinse and pat dry scallop before cooking ⓘ
[PAN FRY ⓘ]
Season scallop with salt and pepper
In a hot pan, add oil and place scallops in clockwise direction around the pan
Until pan side is golden, flip over in the same order.
When golden, drizzle 0.5 tbsp lemon juice and slightly shake the pan to ensure they are not sticking to the pan
Ingredients
scallop ⓘ
small knife
∞
1
Ingredients
scallop ⓘ
small knife
∞
1
Method
Hold the scallop, flat side up
Use a small nice (ideally with sharp tip), slide in from position ➊, just about you feel the muscle, and do a small slice ⓘ. This is the only muscle that connects the scallop to the shell;
Use the tip of the knife at position ➋ slightly peel off the skirt (the muscle that goes along the shell)
Angle the knife towards top shell, at position ➌ and slice as closely to the shell as you can to avoid leaving scallops on the shell.
Take off top shell (flat side)
Hold the scallop in the same position, round side up and towards you
At position➍ use a spoon and scrape as closely to the shell again to disconnect the muscle from the shell
Use knife to cut off the muscle on the side (you will see a slight straight line across the side of the scallop)
Peel off everything around, then that leaves you the delicious scallop
Rinse and pat dry scallop before cooking ⓘ
[PAN FRY ⓘ]
Season scallop with salt and pepper
In a hot pan, add oil and place scallops in clockwise direction around the pan
Until pan side is golden, flip over in the same order.
When golden, drizzle 0.5 tbsp lemon juice and slightly shake the pan to ensure they are not sticking to the pan
There are different methods to harvest scallops – mainly dredged and hand-dived. Always go for hand-dived scallop, essentially hand-picked, for its freshness and quality. Dredged scallops tends to take in water and sand which damages the quality and vendors often add preservative and additive to preserve and enhance the scallop. Hand-dived scallop is also better for the environment as dredging scallops tend to harvest younger scallops and killing other species in the process. When purchasing live scallops, ask for hand-dived scallops. Read this article for more details.
Don’t cut too deep, just about 2 mm into the muscle, to avoid penetrating the precious scallop!
If you are not cooking scallop immediately, you can put the scallop in the fridge to keep its freshness. Remember to pat dry first.
Try one of my scallop recipe here!
If you want to use the shell as part of your plating, put the shell into water and boil for 15 minutes. Let it cool and scrub the surface and dry.
This recipe and tips was given to me by participating in the Cuisine Techniques Essential short course at Le Cordon Bleu London.
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