Scallops

[CrescentFresh]

These two restaurants provide my two favorite scallop dishes in the area. I find them both very different, though. Corduroy's scallops are very refined, subtle, with a delicate taste of the sea (oceanaire, shall we say?). Ray's are bold, brash and in-your-face "I'm Your Scallop And You're Going To Love Me!"

I remember either Mom or Dad saying to me and my brother at some point in time for some reason, "we love you both the same." Even though it was bullshit. My brother always was the favorite!

Anyway, the scallops. I love them both the same, no matter how divergent they are. What about you?

[jcc]

These two restaurants provide my two favorite scallop dishes in the area.  I find them both very different, though.  Corduroy's scallops are very refined, subtle, with a delicate taste of the sea (oceanaire, shall we say?).  Ray's are bold, brash and in-your-face "I'm Your Scallop And You're Going To Love Me!"

I remember either Mom or Dad saying to me and my brother at some point in time for some reason, "we love you both the same."  Even though it was bullshit.  My brother always was the favorite! 

Anyway, the scallops.  I love them both the same, no matter how divergent they are.  What about you?

I've never been a fan of the smaller scallops (bay I think), preferring larger sea scallops. The best I've had are the size of a filet mignon served singularly over a small bed of something crunchy to compliment the melt-in-your-mouth consistency of a correctly prepared scallop and drizzled with a tangy reduction (balsamic usually).

If anyone knows some place around here that prepares a scallop like this, PLEASE let me know, I've only been fortunate enough to encounter the like at Striped Bass in Phili.

[DonRocks]

Bistrot du Coin sometimes has scallops the size of bull's balls.

This has been a very good few months for scallops in the DC restaurant world (at least from the diner's perspective). They've been plentiful, and for whatever reason, it seems like lots of places are cooking them well.

Can anyone confirm my hypothesis that the wholesale supply of scallops is unusually good these days?

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

This has been a very good few months for scallops in the DC restaurant world (at least from the diner's perspective).  They've been plentiful, and for whatever reason, it seems like lots of places are cooking them well.

Can anyone confirm my hypothesis that the wholesale supply of scallops is unusually good these days?

Cheers,

Rocks.

I smell scallop farming.

[crackers]

Anyway, the scallops.  I love them both the same, no matter how divergent they are.  What about you?

EXHIBIT 1 - CORDUROY SCALLOPS WITH CHANTARELLES

And with that, I am a Ventworm!!!

[Heather]

OMG. The cravings have started again.

[oliveDC]

served singularly over a small bed of something crunchy to compliment the melt-in-your-mouth consistency of a correctly prepared scallop

Cafe Atlantico serves scallops over crispy coconut rice. It's been a while since I've had it but I remember the rice being pretty good and the scallops fairly plump.

[CrescentFresh]

EXHIBIT 1 - CORDUROY SCALLOPS WITH CHANTARELLES

         

                                                    And with that, I am a Ventworm!!!    

Those compressed air canisters to get the dust out of your keyboard don't do anything about drool, do they?

[RissaP]

If anyone knows some place around here that prepares a scallop like this, PLEASE let me know, I've only been fortunate enough to encounter the like at Striped Bass in Phili.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We buy the scallops from Striped Bass’ fish buyer. Chef Tom Power became friends with him when he used to be the chef at Citronelle in Philly a block away.

[Pool Boy]

Mrs. TJ has been living by the following axiom with quite wonerous success for most of this year.

"If scallops are on the menu, order them."

[jm chen]

And those Corduroy scallops taste as good as they look.

[FunnyJohn]

Although not quite up to Corduroy standards, the take at Bistro Bis on Coquille St Jacques is pretty darn good. Two large scallops served on a truffle-potato emulsion. Very tasty while sipping a cool rose on a hot summer night.

[Tweaked]

Had the Corduroy scallop dish (see exhibit 1 above) and they are Da Bomb...

I'd have to rank it as one of the best dishes I've ever had in DC (and yes Chef Power and Co. you can quote me on that )

[ustreetguy]

Had the Corduroy scallop dish (see exhibit 1 above) and they are Da Bomb...

I'd have to rank it as one of the best dishes I've ever had in DC (and yes Chef Power and Co. you can quote me on that  )

Just had those scallops myself this past Friday. Superb! I ended up inhaling everything on that plate.

[TinDC]

The scallops at Corduroy are truly awesome.

Last winter, I also had some amazing scallops at DC Coast. They may have been the best scallops I have ever eaten. Again, this was last winter so I don't know if they still have them on the menu...

[jm chen]

Last winter, I also had some amazing scallops at DC Coast.  They may have been the best scallops I have ever eaten.  Again, this was last winter so I don't know if they still have them on the menu...

A friend of mine had scallops there last Saturday, and reported that they were awesome.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

I'd like to get back to the related question of why, all of a sudden, scallops are everywhere? It's the miniburgerization of scallops.

[Nadya]

Bistrot du Coin sometimes has scallops the size of bull's balls.

Friday afternoon at work, just idly wondering (okay, dreaming!) about the size of, let's say, an average size bull's balls....Mmmmm....Just wondering is all.

[laniloa]

I'd like to get back to the related question of why, all of a sudden, scallops are everywhere?  It's the miniburgerization of scallops.

Perhaps something to do with regional distribution of other molluscs? State waters have been closed starting in May and all Federal waters were closed in June due to the largest red tide recorded in New England. The parts of the scallop you see in restaurants don't run the risk of giving folks paralytic shellfish poisoning.

[cjsadler]

Who remembers the bisected scallops with curry, chorizo, and haricot verts at Nectar? That was a great scallop dish.

[lizzie]

I had the seared scallops with sugar snap peas at Perry's this weekend. I loved the dish - even more so with the spinach, potato and leek salad, although my favorite way scallops are served at Perry's is paired with brussel sprouts.

I agree with the earlier poster about the scallops with coconut rice at Cafe Atlantico - one of my favorite dishes in the city.

[hans]

I am also very fond of the scallops at David Greggory's - very tasty on top of a wild mushroom/rice mix with grilled spinach and amantadillo cream. In fact, they may be my favorites.

[Meaghan]

This is a little off topic, but in light of this scallops thread, I wanted to share.

Please don't delete me, Don. Don't eat me either.

[Chris W]

Hey all this is my first post here. Just thought I'd chime in on one of my favorite shell fish. As the son of a former scallop diver I've eaten a few of these guys over the years. There has been what one could easily call a boom in the scallop population and harvest in the mid atlantic waters over the past few years. Maine still is a bit of a different bird because many of the scallop boats/divers do not partake in the federal or off shore managment programs for Scallops which protect and limit catches on Georges Banks. Most all of the boats/divers take advantage of the in shore harvesting which is managed by the state and runs from Dec 1 to april 15 in Maine. I believe this is not the case in southern waters where draggers have a much larger and more heavily populated area to fish.

[JPW]

Hey all this is my first post here.  Just thought I'd chime in on one of my favorite shell fish.  As the son of a former scallop diver I've eaten a few of these guys over the years.  There has been what one could easily call a boom in the scallop population and harvest in the mid atlantic waters over the past few years.  Maine still is a bit of a different bird because many of the scallop boats/divers do not partake in the federal or off shore managment programs for Scallops which protect and limit catches on Georges Banks. Most all of the boats/divers take advantage of the in shore harvesting which is managed by the state and runs from Dec 1 to april 15 in Maine.  I believe this is not the case in southern waters where draggers have a much larger and more heavily populated area to fish.

Welcome Chris.

Interesting since usually all one usually hears about is the decline of shellfish populations.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Apparently, there has been a similar explosion in the lobster populations off the coast of Maine. This from the WSJ:

After hovering for decades at around 20 million pounds a year, Maine's lobster catch began to surge in the late 1980s. A record 70 million pounds was tallied in 2004. Scientists say the bounty may stem from the decline of fish that prey on lobster hatchlings. They warn the boom could crater without warning, noting a little-understood shell disease has ravaged lobster fishing in other parts of New England. Even so, that hasn't stopped Mainers from rushing to get in on the bonanza.

[laniloa]

Scallops have also benefited from some area management. A large area was close to bottom trawlers for 4 years to try and rebuild groundfish populations. Didn't work for the groundfish but was a huge boon for the scallops. Sort of like crop rotation in farms.

[Chris W]

Thanks all. A couple thougths

1) lobsters... Trap limits and the HUGE decline of ground fish specifically cod have helped the lobster populations. The shedder season was very late last year too which meant that the price definetly stayed higher longer and gave a lot of fisherman incentive to hit it as long as they could into the season.

2) scallops are easy to fish out and take a long time to recover sometimes not at all. Years ago as with lobsters ME was almost fished out of them and the DMR has been very leary of their sustainability ever since.

Now I have to have scallops for dinner tonight....like that's a bad thing.

[DonRocks]

A word of caution to diners this week: I've had some really raunchy diver scallops within the past few days - browning and gritty - and these were at restaurants that are tried-and-true for serving first-rate scallops (Kotobuki and Cafe Atlantico, if you must know). Either every Tom, Dick and Harry bought up all the locally available scallops for the holidays, or there's something amiss in the delivery chain right now. But regardless, I would wait at least another week for the supply and delivery cycle to normalize before ordering another scallop. on my nickel, Rocks.

[Demetrius]

My wife and I went to Nova Scotia for our honeymoon a couple of years ago, and one of the highlights of our trip was our visit to the Bay of Fundy and eating the World famous Dinby scallops. Below is a link where you can purchase these treasures of the ocean.

http://www.dbkenneyfisheries.com/scallops.html

[brendanc]

A word of caution to diners this week:  I've had some really raunchy diver scallops within the past few days - browning and gritty - and these were at restaurants that are tried-and-true for serving first-rate scallops (Kotobuki and Cafe Atlantico, if you must know).  Either every Tom, Dick and Harry bought up all the locally available scallops for the holidays, or there's something amiss in the delivery chain right now.  But regardless, I would wait at least another week for the supply and delivery cycle to normalize before ordering another scallop.  on my nickel, Rocks.

Definite hole in the scallop market as prices have creeped up. Luckily I buy day boat scallies direct through the most conscientous fish purveyor in DC, he ain't cheap though.

[RaisaB]

I brought back some fresh scallops last week from my forays abroad. They shucked them for me and still had the coral. I thoroughly cleaned them here at home, detached the coral. (cooked that separately), and pan seared them. Even though they were good, they didn't have the crispiness on the outside that Corduroy's scallops have. I dried them off and let them sit in the fridge to dry a bit more, can someone tell me where I went wrong?

Edited 4 spelling.

Edited February 21, 2006 by RaisaB

[Joe H]

I can't resist mentioning this experience. Once upon a time I encountered LIVE seafood which was presented to me before dinner. This included scallops! This is the link to one of my more infamous experiences:

http://www.chowhound.com/midatlantic/board...sages/7171.html

Fortunately the Parisien preparation of scallops is quite different from, say, the Hong Kong or Vancouver preparation where the scallop and its roe are intentionally undercooked, still warm in part from the breath of life as well as the heat of a grill.

[Dr. Delicious]

Being the Masshole that I am, I'm constantly searching for good fried seafood, specifically scallops. Any suggestions about where I could satisfy my fried scallops jonez?

[DaveBVI]

Friday afternoon at work, just idly wondering (okay, dreaming!) about the size of, let's say, an average size bull's balls....Mmmmm....Just wondering is all.

Silver tongue in cheek Nadya?

It's definately an availability thing but remember that demand pushes supply. A few restaurants do something well, people start to ask for them more, they ask their suppliers for them more often, stocks get used more quickly, and re-stocked more quickly, fishmongers tell their other restaurants , we've got some nice scallops in this week, then they become specials, and if they sell well, might become a regular menu item, blah blah, blah

And then, you get people like me who, seeing one on the menu, must order them, just to see how they measure up to my favorite, (but I am biased).

Oh, I did have a pretty good scallop app at Tosca during RW.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen the Jumbo scallops mentioned earlier, over which Nadya was musing...cheeky girl...

Dave

[Jacques Gastreaux]

The original post starting this thread says everythinkg you need to know.

[Michael Landrum]

I brought back some fresh scallops last week from my forays abroad. They shucked them for me and still had the coral. I thoroughly cleaned them here at home, detached the coral. (cooked that separately), and pan seared them. Even though they were good, they didn't have the crispiness on the outside that Corduroy's scallops have. I dried them off and let them sit in the fridge to dry a bit more, can someone tell me where I went wrong?

Edited 4 spelling.

Raisa, you did nothing wrong. You just didn't have a 750 degree cooking surface at home. That's what does it.

One way to get the restaurant effect at home is to use a Lodge cast iron large skillet pre-heated as hot as your range and smoke alarm will allow. Use a fine ground sea salt and a smidge of fine ground pepper to season (there's physics and chemistry involved here) and use as little canola or peanut oil as possible. Once you put the scallops in the pan, DO NOT MOVE THEM, that way they will crust. If the pan is hot enough, the scallops firm and fresh enough, and you are patient enough, even at home you should be able to get the

right crust-to-doneness effect going on with enough practice. You can also use a bit of flour.

Home cooks should never sell themselves short, it is usually merely a matter of equipment and ingredients.

[Michael Landrum]

I don't think there's a greater pan on this planet.  And my scallops turn out great in it.  So does the steak.  It still won't keep me from coming to eat at your house from time to time though, Michael.  I can't make Key Lime Pie for shit.

If I teach you how to make key lime pie, then will you stay away? Don't you read the Reliable Source?

[crackers]

EXHIBIT #2 They are such simple looking things. These were from a restaurant in Philadelphia called Mercato. Served with a pea and wild mushroom risotto and parmesean crisp.

[FunnyJohn]

I don't know if all Lodge cast iron skillets now come pre-seasoned, although some do so make sure, that the label indicates that it has.

The best scallops (next to Corduroy and Ray's, of course ) that I have partaken of were in this little seaside fish restaurant on one of the Greek isles -- Lesbos, I think -- where they came grilled still affixed to their shells. Scraped off the sea bed that same day.

Edited February 22, 2006 by FunnyJohn

[mdt]

The lodge pans are already seasoned. And they're cheap-- I think I paid less than $30 for a large one as a gift for someone this past xmas.

Lodge Logic pans are already seasoned, but still need the little TLC of regular cast iron pans. The regular Lodge line are NOT seasoned, although the seasoning process is not that hard.

Edited February 22, 2006 by mdt

[Joe Harran]

The scallops on the new fall menu:

Sea Scallops au Potiron

seared with pumpkin mousseline, chanterelles,

pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oil vinaigrette

stop by if your in the area

[DonRocks]

Nantucket scallops are INCREDIBLE right now. In the last week, I've had them at three restaurants, and all were amazing - they're little baby things, no bigger than tater tots. If you see them on menus in the next week or two, get them! To heck with U-10s! Get these!

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Sthitch]

Nantucket scallops are INCREDIBLE right now. In the last week, I've had them at three restaurants, and all were amazing - they're little baby things, no bigger than tater tots. If you see them on menus in the next week or two, get them! To heck with U-10s! Get these!

Cheers,

Rocks.

The last few years they have been like candy. I look forward to having some this season.

[zoramargolis]

The last few years they have been like candy. I look forward to having some this season.

For home cooks, BlackSalt sells them. Too bad they cost around $30 a pound.

[Sthitch]

For home cooks, BlackSalt sells them. Too bad they cost around $30 a pound.

And if they are as good as last year they are worth every penny, well as long as you take care not to overcook them.