Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Scallop Season

Scallop season opened on November 1, but for some ancient bylaw, the guys were not allowed to go on Sunday, so it officially started Monday. This once was a huge money maker around these parts, but through shifts in tides, sands, etc, it has been pretty weak for about 20 years. For whatever reason, this is the year it has turned around. So I introduce you to the scallop shanty where one opens scallops.


This is what scallops look like.

This is what they look like when the shell is opened. Evidently they have muscle and guts around the scallop that one has to peel off.

Matt is showing the girls and his nephew the fine art of opening the scallops in a very cramped scallop shanty.

K shows me the cool way to open them.

B found a crabby in one of hers.

Remember Where's Waldo? I made Where's Gretel?

And here it is, the fruits of their labor.

For this little bag here, a fisherman would get about $20 to sell it to a fish market. You, as the consumer, would have to pay about $50 for this amount. Unfair? Yeah, I think so. Place your wholesale orders now!

14 comments:

Melisa Wells said...

Cool post!

I admire the girls for getting their hands dirty with that. I'd be the one standing to the side, watching. :)

And paying the $50.

WeaselMomma said...

You're girls sure do like to get right in there and aren't at all squeemish.

Anonymous said...

Hurricanes have hit the oyster industry down here pretty hard, but the beds are finally making a strong come back. I just let the professional shuck 'em.

Love the photos!

won said...

Wow. I am jealous of the fresh scallops. How I would love to have some...how cool that you have them fresh off the boat. Yum.

Caution/Lisa said...

They sure do look a lot prettier from the outside!

Heather said...

OH YUM. I want a bag. NOW. I absolutely love them on a bed of angel hair pasta in a white wine sauce. And I'd be in there with the girls, getting my hands dirty!
:)

Justine said...

Hey Sue! I noticed you visited my blog and became a follower, so I'm returning the favor! It looks like I'll have some fun around here, learning more about the Cape Cod area. What a neat place to live. You can keep the muscle and guts, but gimme that bag of yumminess!

Justine :o )

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

Oh. my gosh! And I was like EWWW. and then I was like OH I SEE GRETEL! I talk to the blog posts when I read them. In fact, I am speaking out loud as I type this. I guess it gets lonely here sometimes! I DO LOVE scallops though, love them! What a fun fun thing to do! So do they taste even better there!! I bet they do, are they salty, sandy? YUMMMMM!

Unknown said...

OMGosh I LOVE scallops...i wish I lived where you do...what fun!

KathleenKMM said...

I LOVED the Where's Gretel photo! What a cutie. My aunt is on Cape right now and is very excited about the scallops!

Mrs4444 said...

These pics are awesome! I love scallops and had no idea the process of harvesting them. Thanks.

Summer said...

Great scallop tutorial. I love the fried scallops at Arnolds in Eastham. I'm not too fond of how they look in the shell though.

k a t i e said...

I personally am not a fan of scallops - something to do with their creepy, flaccid fishyness - but it looks like a whole lot of fun opening them up! Do they have 'beards' like mussels etc?

MaNiC MoMMy™ said...

Hey sue, out of the blue, my daughter asked me what scallops were and how weird that I had just seen your post so I said, LET's LOOK AT AS CAPE COD TURNS so I came over here and showed her the post! So cool how a blog can help educate others! I did love this post! xo