Sea Eagle is all over the STATE Again!!
Sea Eagle Market has a very busy weekend ahead of us again.  We just can't seem to stay still.  Craig and Melena Reaves are in Columbia today with the South Carolina Seafood Alliance serving up Shrimp and Grits with our State Congressional Leaders.  Tomorrow we will be at the Northeast  Farmers Market at Lake Carolina from 2:30 pm to 7:00 pm.  On Friday and Saturday we will be at the South Carolina State Farmers Market in West Columbia from 11 am to 6:30 pm.  On Saturday we will be at the All Local Farmers Market in Columbia from 8 am - 12 pm and also at the Greenville Farmers Market from 8 am - 12 pm.  You can find links to all these Markets on the side of the newsletter!!

Sexy Fish: LIVE Scallops

For the first time ever we have live scallops at the market.  Please stop by and pick some up!!  Scallops are marine bivalve molluscs from the family Pectinindae found in all of the world's oceans.  Many scallops are utilized as food sources and some of the brightly colored, fan-shaped shells are valued by shell collectors.  The name "scallop" is derived from the Old French word escalope, with means "shell". 

Like oysters, scallops have a central adductor muscle, and therefore the inside of their shells have a characteristic central scar, marking the point of attachment for this muscle.  The adductor muscle of scallops is larger and more developed than that of oysters because they are active swimmers; in fact scallops are the only bivalve that migrates.

Scallops have between 50 and 200 simple eyes strung around the edges of their mantles like a string of beads.  They are reflector eyes with a retina that is more complex than those of other bivalves.  Their eyes contain two retina types: one responding to light and the other to abrupt darkness, such as the shadow of a nearby predator.  They cannot detect shapes, but can detect changing patterns of light and motion.

Reflector eyes are an alternative to a lens where the inside of the eye is lined with mirrors which reflect the image to focus at a central point.  The nature of these eyes means that if one where to peer into the pupil of an eye, one would see the same image that the organism would see, reflected back out.  The scallop Pecten has up to 100 millimeter-scale reflector eyes fringing the edge of its shell.  It detects moving objects as they pass successive lenses.

So what do I do when I get these Scallops??
Opening a scallop requires a short, sharp and stout knife (ie oyster knife) and a live scallop. To open a scallop and clean it at the same time, hold the scallop in the flat of your left hand with the rounded half of the shell downwards and the hinge facing away from yourself. On the right of the hinge as you now view it where the shell begins to bulge there will be a slight gap between the two shells. Place the point of the knife (blade pointing away from you) in this gap and push the blade upwards and in towards the center of the shell. Then keeping the blade pressed against the inside of the upper flat shell, cut through the adductor muscle where it joins the shell moving towards the hinge of the scallop. When the muscle is cut you will feel the two halves come apart.

In the same motion lift the flat shell upwards to reveal the contents (unfortunately you will probably see the muscle and other organs pulsating at this point). With one motion cut behind the testis and roe right around to the adductor muscle to separate the edible parts from the eyes, gills and mantle. Cut the bottom of the adductor away from the rounded half of the shell and you should be left with good edible parts. Discard everything else except the shell.

There will be a small dark tube (gut) around the rear edge of the adductor muscle which needs to be scraped away, as do any remaining bits of mantle or eye that are left. Then the scallop needs rinsing off in cold water and cooking as soon as possible.

Remember that the shell can be used as well, so don't discard it with everything else. The rounded half when cleaned out makes a perfect cooking and serving dish for many recipes. They also make good candle trays, side dishes, garden ornaments... The list goes on.

How do I cook them?

Bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Lay the scallops in the prepared pan. Place the pan containing the scallops in the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until white in color and slightly firm.

Broil: Place your scallops in a well greased pan about 3 to 4 inches from heat source. Brush the scallops liberally with melted butter. Cook until white in color and slightly firm.

Sauté: Dip cleaned scallops in milk and lightly dust with flour. Melt enough butter in a skillet to cover the bottom. When the butter is hot, but not burned, place the scallops in the skillet. Cook until lightly browned on each side, turning once.

Scallops are also excellent in a stir-fry or grilled on a skewer.

Thawing: Frozen scallops should be thawed under refrigeration at or below 38°. Running cold water over the scallops can help thaw them quicker. Be sure to have the scallops in a sealed bag when doing this so you don't rinse out their flavorful juices.

Parmesan Scallops

Ingredients