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Scallop Roe


Moondog

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I made a quick appetizer -- scallop with a carrot juice, star anise, 5 spice powder sauce; scallop with sweet onion confit and nutmeg; scallop with pureed green pea and rosemary sauce. I thought the scallops by themselves would look nicer on the plate...

BTW Loufood, I wanted to put a lime leaf jacket one the scallops--where might I find lime leaves in Paris? I tried Belleville and Arts et Métiers yesterday. Nope.

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Six dupes and I only saw them now. :blink:

Lime leaves. I'm flattered that you think I'd know where to find them! So we know they're not in any of the normal shops. And you already tried Belleville and Arts & Metiers. I'd think the big markets down in old Chinatown in the 13th - Tang Freres or Exomart. But I'm going out to Rungis soon so I'll keep my eye out for a supplier so hopefully we can find a vendor in Paris.

So tell me more about how you'll use them.

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The lime leaves - my brother in Vancouver (where lime leaves are apparently as ubiquitous as Big Macs) describes this thing he does where he slices the leaf along the seam without entirely cutting through either edge, then slips a scallop into the slit, creating a jacket. Then he flash fries both sides of the exposed scallop and serves it on a bed of caramelized onion sauce with a couple of scratches of nutmeg on top. Haven't seen it or tasted it, only had it described in an e-mail.

Guess I'll have to try Tang Frères.

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using the roe with the scallop dish makes sense. toss in with the scallop during the last minute of cooking. you want to avoid cooking it all the way thru - half way is fine. cut up into pieces though cause it's got a REALLY strong flavor!

scallop, roe, asparagus, morels

Edited by Matt Seeber (log)
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  • 5 years later...

I am intrigued that so many scallop dishes I see from Nth America do not leave the roe attached to scallops or even include them in a sauce. Is this common?

Personally, I cant recall the last time I had a dish featuring these exquisite wee things sans roe!

Just a terrible waste if discarded IMO , they add a wonderful dimension of flavour with a slight bitterness that enhances the whole dish.

So...what do you do with your roe? :smile:

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It is true, we rarely see them with the roe in our markets. I am sure restaurants can get them with the roe, but given that the general public cannot, the restaurants may be hesitant to include it for fear of turning off said public.

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I never see them available for sale here in New England - even to restaurants - but I've pulled some out of the shell while diving here in Maine. A Dutch friend was on the boat and freaked out. She ate it raw with a squirt of lemon juice.

In North America, Canada has supported roe-on scallop harvesting off and on since 1987. The levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) are closely monitored during May and June when roe sacs are well developed. If PSP toxin levels top out at 80 μg/100g, the fishing area is shut down in the area and only when three test results in a row yield safe standards will it re-open. Harvest areas are limited to Georges Bank, Western and Sable Banks.

See Scallops: Biology, Ecology and Aquaculture by by Sandra E Shumway and G Jay Parsons for in-depth information

Edited by johnnyd (log)

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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OMG, its my favorite thing to eat in France!-- (one of my favorites, anyway)

We absolutely cannot get scallops with the roe on here in the States. I've asked everywhere.

They always say, "sure" and then get back to me and say "no".

I dream about it.

Have had it years ago in Canada, and in Europe, but NEVER in the States, anywhere.

It's soooo delicious. Especially with a bite of scallop.

Philly Francophiles

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I think, in a GE episode, Alton Brown said it was illegal to even allow roe off the boats in America. It had to be cleaned and disposed of before sale.

Now that I'm thinking, I'm not sure where I heard that, but GE sounds likely. The rule sounds harsh, but knowing sometimes ridiculous USDA rules, not unlikely.

"Life is a combination of magic and pasta." - Frederico Fellini

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When we dive for scallops in Maine, DMR law requires that we shuck all harvested animals at sea so that only the muscle meats remain on board when landing. As we return to port, we stand around shucking scallops with a knife like this. It's shape provides for a clean sweep along the shell's inside, preserving the meats. We throw everything else over the side en route. If the scallops aren't all cut, we are not allowed to tie up, so we idle in the harbor until the job is done.

The reason given why roe sacs are discarded, is that they are highly perishable - much more so than the scallop meats. Therefore they can't risk being transported or processed with the roe attached after they are off-loaded from licensed harvesting vessels

"I took the habit of asking Pierre to bring me whatever looks good today and he would bring out the most wonderful things," - bleudauvergne

foodblogs: Dining Downeast I - Dining Downeast II

Portland Food Map.com

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The only time I ever got scallops with the roe on is when I found them in the shell in a local fishmongers.

The only place I've seen scallops in the shell available since then is here -- they have fresh sea urchins (!), too, but I haven't tried them for the scallops, yet.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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When we dive for scallops in Maine, DMR law requires that we shuck all harvested animals at sea so that only the muscle meats remain on board when landing...The reason given why roe sacs are discarded, is that they are highly perishable - much more so than the scallop meats.

I've got to say this is the saddest thing I've ever heard.

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In the UK they are available with or without the roe. Usually the diver scallop come with roe intact whereas tubbed, trawled scallops are removed from the shell, the roe removed and the scallop cleaned.

Many restaurants don't include the roe as it can be bitter and it also adds to their cost as they get less scallop flesh for the same weight of overall product.

I personally like the roe, but often rather than consuming with the scallops, I dry the roes over night, grind into a powder and use it to dust onto soups etc

If a man makes a statement and a woman is not around to witness it, is he still wrong?

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