Eating raw scallops—is it a good idea?
Eating a raw scallop: will you spend the whole night doubled over with stomach cramps, or is it perfectly fine? You often don’t see them being opened right in front of you (as with oysters), but they do feature on many a sushi menu. So we wondered: can you eat scallops raw, or is it better not to?
In any case, you should be careful with raw food, and the only way to kill disease-causing bacteria is to heat something thoroughly all the way through. And fried scallops are delicious too, of course. But we’re thrillseekers at heart, and often willing to accept a little risk in exchange for the experience of eating something insanely delicious. Here’s what experts say about raw scallops:
How fres(h) can you go?
The short answer is: yes, you can eat a scallop raw. In fact, a raw, ultra-fresh scallop is probably one of the most delicious things there is, with an unparalleled natural sweetness and tenderness. But: how fresh the specimen is will make all the difference in terms of flavor and experience. That’s why it’s important to know what journey your little shellfish has made before you eat it raw.
Day-boat fish
The key word here is: day boat. These are smaller fishing boats that, as the name suggests, set out in the morning and return to port the same day to unload their catch. This means that if they’ve been fishing for scallops, those specimens are guaranteed to be fresh. Day boats also tend to operate on a smaller scale, making them more sustainable and less damaging to the seabed and aquatic life.
Watery little creature
The (less tasty) alternative is catch from large fishing vessels, which can stay at sea for up to two weeks. A scallop caught on day 1 can be kept on ice until day 14, and the more that ice melts, the more meltwater the scallops absorb. This makes the seafood inside larger, but also dilutes the flavor.
Get to know your fishmonger
So if you buy them fresh, always try to find out whether the scallops come from a day boat. For this, you need a fishmonger who is honest about the origin and freshness of their products. Maybe a fish auction is easily accessible to you; in that case, it’s definitely a good idea to make friends there and become a regular customer with a vendor who sells to private individuals, because it will bring you an incredible amount of culinary joy!
Also read:
- Do you realize how much plastic you ingest when you eat fish?
- Why, after seeing the fantastic film My Octopus Teacher, you’ll never want to eat squid again
- Why anchovies actually deserve an award or a pat on the back
Source: Food52
