The Scallop Species, Preface To Boston Fish House Scallop Recipes From The 1940s

Fish House Recipes, 1940s

The Scallop Species

Scallops are an edible bivalve found off the coasts of Long Island, Rhode Island, and southern Massachusetts in paying quantities. The giant scallops are found in deeper water than the cape scallops or common bay scallops and are known as "sea scallops." The chief cape scallop beds are on the coast of New Bedford, Maine and off Long Island and New Jersey.

One can scarcely see a lovelier sight than that of a large number of these pretty creatures, with shells of every hue from purple white to black, enlivened with shades of pink, yellow, fawn, and other tints, darting about in the clear water.

The powerful central muscle by which the animal opens and closes its shell forms the edible portion. The rims or refuse are used for fertilizer. The shells are of commercial value.

Scallops are found among eel grass or sandy beaches in great abundance in many localities, especially in sheltered places; and they are also frequently found living on sandy shores and flats or in the pools. Cape scallops are obtained by dredging and raking. Sea scallops, however, are taken only in dredges and trawls.

The spawn (or eggs) are thrown out into the water much in the manner of oysters, clams, and other bivalves in the early summer. By the middle of July, this "seed" is about as large as the head of a lead pencil, growth being very rapid while the warm weather lasts. Fishermen believe that scallops never spawn more than once, and die before they reach the age of three years.