Scallops [Merged Topic]

[jaybee]

I do not rinse chickens when I get them home from the market.

Well I guess you like chicken shit more than I.

[ngatti]

You'd be crazy to wash opened oysters or clams.  I never said I did. The liquid in them is almost as good as the meat.  If I bought scallops in the shell I wouldn't wash them either.  But I do wash the shells before shucking them. There is no liquor around shelled scallops that have been sitting in a tray on ice at the fish store.  And by the time you get them home, and finally cook them, they often are a bit slimy.  Fresh and tasty, but a bit slimy.  I never heard that this slime adds to the taste.  So ease up there and don't read so much into what I didn't say.

But I wouldn't dream of not washing a whole fish I brought home from the fish monger wrapped in paper.  Even if I saw him take it live out of the tank, kill it, clean it and scale it, I would still give it a rinse before cooking it. 

I suppose you'll tell me you don't rinse chickens when you get them home from the market?

I don't even like the flesh portion of fish to sit in ice. My delivery instructions for all my fish, whole and fileted, and printed on the invoices are "Do not directly ice fish."

I've never noticed the slime build up you describe. Certainly in the day or two that I keep them about. Stuff treated with tri-poly is another matter. That stuff will cause the critters to leach liquid. Maybe giving a slimey appearence, and then sure, go ahead and rinse it.

I guess if there was much blood on the gills and I transferred it to the flesh, I might give it a rinse for appearences sake. In fact now that this stream of conciousness is taking place, Jaybee; I'm scrupulous about rinsing the fish bones of blood (cutting out the gills and any extraneous pieces of gut) before making stock from fish bones. Come to think of it I *did* rinse some filets of dayboat fluke on saturday. The fish fileted out with a bunch of very small scales. So I briefly dipped each filet in a tub of cold water. But I only do thid to remove sand or foreign matter on an as needed basis. Not as a matter of course.

I don't rinse fresh chickens either. I dry them out, uncovered on racks for two or three days. Season in and out and cook in the rotiserie.

Nick

[jaybee]

I don't rinse fresh chickens either.

Thanks Nick, for that stream of consciousness support.

The operative word there is "fresh." I buy most of my chicken in the supermarket in bags. They are full of blood and other liquids. If I bought it off the chopping block, still squirming, I'd feel differently.

And I rinse fish for the same reasons as you describe--to remove scales and bits of stuff that invariably get on them. The whole fish I buy also have loose scales here and there and blood in the cavity, and have had at least an hour or two in transport before hitting the heat, so I feel better rinsing.

I don't know what causes that sliminess on shelled scallops, but I don't like it.

[Suvir Saran]

But I wouldn't dream of not washing a whole fish I brought home from the fish monger wrapped in paper.  Even if I saw him take it live out of the tank, kill it, clean it and scale it, I would still give it a rinse before cooking it. 

I suppose you'll tell me you don't rinse chickens when you get them home from the market?

Jaybee I am with you.

I rinse fish.. and I pat it dry.

And very often, I will marinade with salt and little lemon or lime juice.

And then actually cook it. It is my way of really getting rid of any slime.

And chicken? I am fanatical about cleaning them properly. FANATICAL for real. I spend a lot of time cleaning chicken.. and then even more time cleaning the sink and the entire kitchen and myself. Chicken to me is one of the worst things to clean. Not sure why.. but just is.

[nervousnelli]

Just for your information - Fresh sea scallops - no chemicals or water added - are frequently available at the Stop and Shop supermarket near me. I've prepared them many times with great results. They are very tasty and often less than $9 a lb.

[Beachfan]

I had scallops at a usually fine restaurant last week that were completely tasteless. The didn't smell or taste off, just flavorless. Is this a sign of soaking the scallops?

[Suvir Saran]

Just for your information - Fresh sea scallops - no chemicals or water added - are frequently available at the Stop and Shop supermarket near me.  I've prepared them many times with great results.  They are very tasty and often less than $9 a lb.

And where are you based?

[Jinmyo]

I never rinse or wash seafood or chicken, just wipe them with paper toel or cloth, pat them dry, let them sit out in the air a bit.

Washing chickens makes Jacque Pepin cry.

[Nick]

What Nickn said, but my experience is that the scuba dived scallops are in a little better physical shape (tearing of meat and such).

Nick, I think that has more to do with who's doing the schucking than how they're caught. Since the divers might be more concerned with overall quality than quantity, they may also pay more attention in shucking.

Whichever way they're caught, it depends on caring for what you're doing.

On the big boats you can have guys that never went out before shucking for twelve hour shifts. About fifteen years ago a huge scallop bed was found offshore - about thirty miles long as I remember. We had boats coming from the Carolinas that had been into shrimping before they got here. I wonder what those scallops looked like after they were schucked.

[jaybee]

I wonder what those scallops looked like after they were schucked.  

You sure don't want to rinse off all that good stuff.

Edited December 17, 2002 by jaybee (log)

[jaybee]

Washing chickens makes Jacque Pepin cry.

That's because they bite his hand.

[nervousnelli]

Just for your information - Fresh sea scallops - no chemicals or water added - are frequently available at the Stop and Shop supermarket near me.  I've prepared them many times with great results.  They are very tasty and often less than $9 a lb.

And where are you based?

Aberdeen, New Jersey - but I think most of the Jersey Stop and Shop stores have them as well.

[bushey]

I've gotten burned every time I've purchased scallops to make at home -- they just don't taste right. Even when the scallops are "dry" and fresh I can soemtimes detect a metallic taste that puts me off. On rare occasions I taste the same thing in restaurants. Sometimes I think it's just me and I should give up trying them at home.

I usually soak white-fleshed fish, such as flounder and haddock, in salted milk before cooking. Does anyone else do that?

[Suvir Saran]

I've gotten burned every time I've purchased scallops to make at home -- they just don't taste right. Even when the scallops are "dry" and fresh I can soemtimes detect a metallic taste that puts me off.  On rare occasions I taste the same thing in restaurants. Sometimes I think it's just me and I should give up trying them at home.

I usually soak white-fleshed fish, such as flounder and haddock, in salted milk before cooking. Does anyone else do that?

I have heard of shallow soaking in milk with some Indan friends. They feel it removes any film of grime from the fish.

Never done it.

Does it help? Where did you pick this up?

[Jinmyo]

Washing chickens makes Jacque Pepin cry.

That's because they bite his hand.

It's because cooking is about intensifying flavour through, amongst other things, drawing out water.

Jacques says just start at 450 F.

[bushey]

I'm not sure if it helps, because I always do it, but the fish is almost always wonderful. Ages and ages ago someone I worked with gave me a recipe for baked fish that called for soaking in milk. Don't know where she got it from, but her heritage is Italian.

I think it also helps sweeten the fish, both in taste and cooking smells.

[ngatti]

I've gotten burned every time I've purchased scallops to make at home -- they just don't taste right. Even when the scallops are "dry" and fresh I can soemtimes detect a metallic taste that puts me off.  On rare occasions I taste the same thing in restaurants. Sometimes I think it's just me and I should give up trying them at home.

That mettalic taste is the Tri-Poly. It gives an iodine flavor if overused.

Nick

Edited December 17, 2002 by ngatti (log)

[bushey]

Nick, what is Tri-Poly and why is it used? It it something that most fishmonger's or fish department managers would know about if I asked?

[Bond Girl]

If you are in New York City, the fishmonger at the Union Square Greenmarket has fresh sea scallops. If you go early, you tend to get better picks. I am not a fan of cooked scallops, so turning them into ceviche is as far as I go.

[Suvir Saran]

If you are in New York City, the fishmonger at the Union Square Greenmarket has fresh sea scallops.  If you go early, you tend to get better picks.  I am not a fan of cooked scallops, so turning them into ceviche is as far as I go.

And how do you make Scallop Ceviche?

Do you have a preferred way of serving it? With any particular condiments?

[Dave the Cook]

Nick, what is Tri-Poly and why is it used? It it something that most fishmonger's or fish department managers would know about if I asked?

A recent short but excellent article by the inestimable Robert Wolke. Includes lucid tri-poly explanation. here

Washington Post; may require free registration (I can't remember).

[ngatti]

Nick, what is Tri-Poly and why is it used? It it something that most fishmonger's or fish department managers would know about if I asked?

Tri-Poly Phosphate (as I understand it) is a chemical used at sea to help the shellfish retain water. It keeps them moist and more important causes them to increase weight ( = increased dollars at landing). I believe it is used on commercial scallops and block frozen shrimp. It has a mettallic iodiney taste. Sometimes too much is used. When one attempts to broil scallops that have been overly treated, they leach water preventing the scallops from cooking properly. Any knowledgeable fishmonger knows what this is and what it's used for. A reputable one should explain it to you without a problem.

You can usually tell by oder and the amount of water surrounding the scallops in the containers. Dry scallops are just that (dry). Treated scallops look like they are swimming in liquid.

Hope this helps. I'm sure there are others here that have closer, deeper an more accurate knowledge about this

edit: sorry dave. I see you posted a pretty comprehensive link as I was writing this.

Nick

Edited December 17, 2002 by ngatti (log)

[Nick]

Isn't it something how old guitar players will try to get to the bottom of anything?

[bushey]

Dave, thanks for the link. I'm still a little scallop-shy about buying them for home cooking, but at least I'm better informed now thanks to you and Nick.

I have bought "dry" scallops from a local market (a general grocery with an excellent meat department and they'll special order any meat-poultry-fish you request) and they looked wonderful but had that dreaded metallic taste. Maybe I'm just super sensitive to it. Hey, maybe I'm a super taster and didn't even know it.

[ngatti]

Dave, thanks for the link.  I'm still a little scallop-shy about buying them for home cooking,  but at least I'm better informed now thanks to you and Nick.

I have bought "dry" scallops from a local market (a general grocery with an excellent meat department and they'll special order any meat-poultry-fish you request) and they looked wonderful but had that dreaded metallic taste. Maybe I'm just super sensitive to it. Hey, maybe I'm a super taster and didn't even know it.

Bushey, Fresh untreated Bay Scallops are sweet, as if sprinkled with sugar. No mettallic taste at all.

I find the large Diver's to be rich and fatty tasting (subjective). It's kind of strange, but I find that they pair up with Foie Gras pretty well.

Nick