Respect and Admiration for the Underrated Scallop

By Brian Sherman

Few people in South Carolina need confirmation from the Department of Natural Resources that shrimp is the Palmetto State’s most popular variety of seafood. At least some culinary historians credit Charleston with being the birthplace of she-crab soup, a delicacy that might very well have been invented by chef William Deas in the early 20th century to impress a famous visitor to the Holy City – President William Howard Taft. And who along the Carolina coast has never stood side-by-side with other seafood aficionados, deftly shucking shells and enjoying the fruits of their labor at one of the Lowcountry’s ubiquitous oyster roasts?

Indeed, some might argue that Charleston is the center of the seafood universe. But what of the scallop, the oyster’s less-famous and less-appreciated cousin? A cursory Google search will produce news of scallop festivals in Florida, Massachusetts, Canada, and Europe. But these delectable delicacies aren’t even listed on the menus of many Lowcountry restaurants – at least not year-round. Meanwhile, seafoodsource.com’s list of America’s favorite foods from the sea includes shrimp at No. 1 and crabs and clams and No. 9 and No. 10, respectively; scallops are nowhere to be found on this roster of aquatic luminaries.

As it turns out, local chefs do give scallops the love, respect, and admiration they deserve, describing them in glowing phrases that include “a wonderful product”, “absolutely fantastic”, and “a delicious treat.” They also are among the healthiest seafood items, according to WebMD, and Jen Solazzo, a private chef in the Charleston area who points out that they are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids and packed with vitamins and minerals.

One reason scallops don’t receive the publicity afforded to shrimp, clams, and oysters might be that they aren’t native to the South Carolina coast. Thriving in colder waters, they are harvested from Newfoundland, Canada to North Carolina. Digby, Nova Scotia, claims to be the scallop capital of the world, while the most scallop-centric town in the United States, according to its residents, is New Bedford, Massachusetts. That’s exactly where Frank McMahon, the founding chef at Hank’s Seafood Restaurant in Charleston, gets his scallops shipped to him two or three times a week and “super fresh” when they arrive in the Holy City. He said the popular downtown eatery serves up 70 to 80 pounds of scallops a week.

Sea scallops, which are always on the menu at Hank’s, are seared for around a minute-and-a-half on each side so they are “a nice medium rare in the middle,” said McMahon, a native of Ireland who has been cooking since the age of 12 – his parents, both of them chefs, owned a family restaurant. He said bay scallops, which are smaller, can be pan-seared or fried, but he likes them best in a simpler state.

“We prefer raw because it’s a natural, sweet flavor,” he said. “That would be my optimal way to do them.”

The executive chef at High Cotton in Charleston, Joshua Gadsden, also gets his sea scallops from New Bedford, while his bay scallops, which he said are “smaller and sweeter,” are fished near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Though bay scallops aren’t normally on the menu at High Cotton, he pointed out that they are served raw as a featured item, seasoned with lime or lemon juice, orange segments or even pomegranate.

“They’re so delicious and packed with huge flavor. You don’t have to do too much with them,” said Gadsden, who has been in the Charleston restaurant industry for more than 30 years.

High Cotton General Manager Alpha Turner added that scallops are among his personal favorites as well. “That was the first dish I had here, and I’ve been in love with it ever since,” he said. “They are so versatile. The way we make them pairs well with everything. Every bite you eat feels like the first one.”

That said, David Kuhn, chef at High Thyme on Sullivan’s Island since 2006 and part owner since 2014, said he tends to stay away from bay scallops. “They are so small and delicate. They’re easy to overcook and become rubbery,” he said, noting that his sea scallops are harvested off the Virginia coast. Kuhn said scallops can be grilled or broiled, but he prefers to pan-sear them for three to five minutes on each side, seasoned with salt and pepper.

“We cook them real hard on one side until they are golden brown, tender, and delicate. You don’t want to mess around with them; just touch them once or twice. When I flip them, I add some butter to the pan,” he explained. Kuhn added that he doesn’t serve scallops raw because he’s “not that risky.” He added that frying is the easiest way to prepare scallops, but he said he avoids that method since it doesn’t provide the caramelization that adds to the way the scallops look and taste. “That also takes away from any health benefits,” he pointed out. Charif Arabe, executive chef at Frank’s in Pawleys Island, rarely offers fried scallops, since “I hate to take such a wonderful product and drop it in a fryer.” When they are on the menu, he’ll prepare them blackened or baked, as a main dish or as a secondary protein in a sauce. In addition, the 22- year veteran of the restaurant business will serve them raw with some type of citrus sauce or fruits with acidity, such as strawberries or kiwi.

“It’s very refreshing. You get to taste the natural pureness of the scallop,” he said. “We believe Mother Nature is the artist here,” Arabe added. “When you get a really good product, you want to show it off.”

Freddy Julius, director of culinary standards for eight Imagine One restaurants, including Long Island Café and IOP Raw on the Isle of Palms, agrees that less is probably best when preparing scallops. “We want to celebrate that scallop. Just let it be raw or give it a very delicate sear,” said Julius, who has been in the restaurant business for 14 years, “after cooking his way through school.”

He said a light sear – just five to 15 seconds on each side with very high heat – provides a firmer texture and a nice crust on the outside. He adds, however, that “if you mess with it too much, you’ll start to lose it.”

“Once you overcook scallops, they tend to be very rubbery and not very pleasant,” Julius noted.

Jamie Lynch, the chef-partner at Tempest in downtown Charleston since its inception three years ago, got his start in the restaurant business in Marble Head, Massachusetts, just under 100 miles north of New Bedford. He’s been preparing scallops “for the better part of 30 years,” in San Francisco and New York before he landed in Charleston.

Though scallops aren’t on the menu at Tempest, he said that when they are offered as features, “they sell like hotcakes.” They usually are pan-roasted, seared, or charcoal-grilled, but he has prepared scallops in a ceviche marinade with an acidic liquid or dressing.

Scott Larymore is the CEO of five Charleston-area restaurants: Oyster House, two Charleston Crab House locations, Shem Creek Crab House, and AW Shucks Seafood Shack. He said sea scallops from New Bedford are on the menu of all his eateries, while bay scallops are occasionally special items. The restaurants serve them fried, but more diners favor the grilled version, probably because they are healthier.

Regardless of where they get their scallops or how they prepare them, all the culinary experts agreed that there is a major difference between “wet” and “dry” scallops. Solazzo, the private chef, explained that wet scallops are soaked in a preservative – sodium tripolyphosphate – adding water weight and causing other issues. Lynch pointed out that dry scallops are “firmer and meatier,” while it’s more difficult to obtain that sought-after caramelization on wet scallops.

“We don’t use them,” Kuhn said of wet scallops. “The preservative changes the taste and the flavor. It almost makes them look soapy, and they are difficult to cook.”

“Wet scallops are soaked in water or water plus chemicals. When you cook them, they don’t caramelize as well. They release water and shrink in size,” Arabe added. “We don’t deal in wet scallops,” McMahon said. “Dry is 100% better. They’re not the same quality. For me, it’s A versus D.”

So do scallops belong on that list of America’s favorite seafood items? Are the people who put that list together ignoring the taste and texture of a perfectly prepared bivalve mollusk? Maybe, maybe not. But, according to Solazzo, “I appreciate them and their beauty, and they’re fun to cook.”