How to clean scallops

Delicate and intended for refined dishes, scallops are a true delight of the sea: with their firm and fleshy pulp and a tasty taste, these seafood are not only delicious, but are also rich in mineral salts and Omega 3.

These molluscs low in saturated fats also provide high quality proteins , B vitamins and mineral salts such as magnesium, phosphorus and selenium.

Also known as St. James shells, scallops are in fact considered by many to be a delicious food, to be cooked on special occasions and for particularly delicious dishes.

However, when it comes to shellfish you need to pay close attention both to the choice at the time of purchase and to cleaning. Let’s see how to clean scallops and everything you need to know to prepare them in the best way.

How to tell if scallops are fresh?

First of all, before thinking about cooking scallops it is good to know how to choose them and understand if they are fresh. Here are the details to pay attention to before purchasing them:

• make sure they have a diameter of approximately 10 cm;
• check that the shell is shiny;
• check the meat inside, which must be pure whiteand orange, or bright red; the color must be bright and not opaque while the consistency must be firm .

Once you have purchased these seafood, all you have to do is clean them carefully.

Nieddittas markets half-shell scallops, so you can verify the quality of the mollusk yourself, noticing its beautiful pure white and bright orange colours.

What parts of scallops can you eat?

Of the scallops, the parts that can be eaten are the nut , which is the pure white muscle, and the coral , which is the orange part. The rest, however, must be carefully removed by cleaning the fruit.

Is it necessary to purge scallops?

All Nieddittas products follow the manufacturing process of our excellent supply chain in Sardinia. At the end of the manufacturing process they are characterized not only by their freshness, but also by the almost total absence of mud and broken shells.

You can proceed like this:

• pass the scallops under cold water;
• with a stiff bristle brush, scrape away any dirt or encrustations on the shell.
• proceed with the subsequent cleaning of the scallops described in the next paragraph.

How to clean scallops

Cleaning the scallops is an important step, both for the success of the dish and to avoid taking risks by eating uncleaned seafood. Here’s how to clean them easily:

• separate the white part(the muscle ) from the black and dark parts with a knife, also eliminating the transparent skin. Also select orange coral.
• the white and orange parts, i.e. the edible parts of the fruit, should both be cleaned under cold running water.

At this point the parts of the mollusk are ready to be prepared and used in all your appetizer or main course recipes.

How to store clean scallops

It might be a good idea to save the scallops to cook later, perhaps for a special occasion or last-minute dinner.

However, being delicate molluscs they do not last long in the refrigerator : especially in summer, reduce temperature changes as much as possible, because the interruption of the cold chain favors the proliferation of viruses and bacteria. Once you buy the scallops, therefore, cook them as soon as possible: you can keep them in the fridge for a maximum of 24 hours .

However, you can freeze the scallops for up to 3 months by placing them inside an airtight container or a plastic freezer bag. If you have the possibility, the ideal is to store them in a vacuum bag.