Let's give a big hand for scallops

[ericjarvis]

Am I the only one old enough to read the thread title and immediately think of The Perishers.

Scallops got hands!

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Fucking hell I want scallops really badly now. I want to buy some with coral (you don't call it that in english do you? Nevermind, it's a nice word).

It is called coral in England.

 

[perplexis]

It is called coral in England.

Yay! I thought I was getting my French and English mixed up... it's happening more and more now that I'm living in a francophone milieu

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

They taste nothing like any of those.

If anything they taste much less fishy.

Sounds like they're an incredibly boring rip-off then. You're better off just making a sauce and eating that

 

[panpete]

Never tried them. If they are wobbly fishy sandy bits of pink stuff that looks like the underside of a cows tongue like I expect them to be then I'll give them a miss thanks

this ^^^^
but, if they are nice tender, pleasant texture and good taste, I am curious.
why are they enviromentally dodgy?

 

[og ogilby]

I went to the supermarket and bought some because of this thread.

I've eaten them all already.

 

[panpete]

Coat them in a little curry powder, gently fry in olive oil and garlic - they take no longer than a minute each side. Serve them with a decent salad.

Nom.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Probably the fruit equivalent of scallops. All mouth and no action

 

[DG55]

Don't really understand the point of scallops.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Don't really understand the point of scallops.

See previous post

Look pretty, but taste of nothing by the sounds of it

 

[BlueSquareThing]

See previous post

Look pretty, but taste of nothing by the sounds of it

Nah, they taste of scallops

Honestly, there's a taste they have that is just of themselves. If you cook them really basically (and they're big and fresh rather than frozen little ones) you get the most marvellous tasting wee things - I don't know how to describe it: I guess they taste of the sea in the way you'd want it to taste.

I wouldn't want them everyday, but they're gorgeous things.

 

[lang rabbie]

There's a first time for everything, and that includes me quoting Gordon Ramsay with approval

Secret: We never discard anything that can be used to impart flavour, and that includes scallop corals. The fresh corals are spread on a sheet of baking parchment and dried overnight in a very low oven until they are hard and brittle, then blitzed in a food processor, or ground to a powder. We sprinkle this coral powder over fish dishes, risottos and creamy sauces for pasta. It lends a superb flavour.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Nah, they taste of scallops

Honestly, there's a taste they have that is just of themselves. If you cook them really basically (and they're big and fresh rather than frozen little ones) you get the most marvellous tasting wee things - I don't know how to describe it: I guess they taste of the sea in the way you'd want it to taste.

I wouldn't want them everyday, but they're gorgeous things.

hm, taste of the sea and wee

 

[BlueSquareThing]

hm, taste of the sea and wee

I've seen those outflow pipes y'know

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I've seen those outflow pipes y'know

Yeah, near Vauxhall Bridge flowing into the Thames

 

[panpete]

Probably the fruit equivalent of scallops. All mouth and no action

i had a bit of one of those, talk about bland

 

[ExtraRefined]

One of my colleagues does wreck diving, and when he can't find any interesting lumps of metal to bring up he grabs some scallops or lobsters instead, which are apparently everywhere in the English Channel. Luckily for me, he's pretty conservative in taste. He turned up at my house one Sunday with a dozen of the weird little things, still very much alive. They sat on my worksurface, slowly opening and then snapping shut, possibly on your finger if you unwisely decided to prod them.

Eating those, prepared simply with garlic and chilli as suggested above, pretty much ruined me on >£15/kg frozen scallops. The flavour is very different, in that fresh scallops actually have a flavour, subtle and sweet; whereas frozen ones are rather bland and the value is in the texture.

BTW scallops are hermaphrodites, so the coral can be eggs or scallop cum, or both.

 

[Griff]

I went to the supermarket and bought some because of this thread.

I've eaten them all already.

Excellent.

Just have to persuade Minnie now on what she's missing.

 

[Ms T]

this ^^^^
but, if they are nice tender, pleasant texture and good taste, I am curious.
why are they enviromentally dodgy?

Some of them are dredged from the bottom of the sea, like prawns. Those fishermen who died the other day were dredging for scallops, btw.

Diver scallops are the way to go but are more expensive.

 

[Yetman]

We sprinkle this coral powder over fish dishes, risottos and creamy sauces for pasta. It lends a superb flavour.

Yeah but what about when the fucker wants it back hey?

You've got 24 hours bitch...

 

[ajk]

Afaik queenies are wee little scallops aren't they? The button mushroom equivilant.

Iirc not as great as big old ones.

Aye, Queen scallops, we had the Queenie Festival a couple of weeks ago, it was awesome. I think they have better flavour than the larger species.

 

[Bucksta]

Scallop sushi is beyond incredible. It's a real fresh, clean taste.