Roll
Cuisine Corner with Pierre-Luc Moeyer
The
Sea Scallop is a gift to the culinary world. Unlike fellow bivalve
mollusks like oysters, clams, and mussels, scallops are highly mobile,
basically developing into one big muscle… firm, yet tender
and slightly sugary. Fresh scallops provide a healthy and tasteful
foundation for innovative recipe possibilities.
The
scallop gained great prestige during the medieval era. Pilgrims
visiting the shrine of St. James in Spain began to use empty scallop
shells for both eating and begging. The scallop and its shell quickly
became a symbol of this magnificent shrine, with people using them
to decorate their doorways as well as their coats of arms. In honor
of the shrine, they were called the shell of St. James, now best
known by their translated French name of Coquille St. Jacques.
Scallops
are migratory, and are found in all the world’s oceans. The
great scallop is abundant in the Mediterranean, while the sea and
bay scallop are found concentrated in the Atlantic Ocean off North
America. When you buy scallops locally (Hannafords, Gadaletos, etc.),
or in New York City, you will probably get North American. Recent
sources have been from New Jersey. Don’t hesitate to ask your
fishmonger where they’re from, and when they arrived.
We
are at the beginning of the season for scallops, which runs from
October through May. When you buy scallops, they should have flesh
that is white and firm and have no evidence of browning. Smell is
also a good indicator of freshness with fresh scallops being either
odorless or having a slightly sweet scent. Since a slightly “off”
smell cannot be detected through plastic, if you have the option,
purchase displayed scallops as opposed to those that are prepackaged.
We’re
at the end of the peach season, so let’s use those last peaches
for this light starter dish.
SEA
SCALLOP INTRODUCTION | RECIPE
| MAILLARD REACTION
|
