Scallop Preparation Tips | Yankee Kitchen

I’ve heard that you should not wash scallops? Is that true? Can you offer other scallop preparation tips? It’s true that you should never wash scallops because they readily absorb water. Some unconscionable packers soak their scallops to plump them up, and since this interferes with the best interferes with every method of cooking, it is the best reason to buy scallops at the most reputable fish market you can find. Rather than washing them, simply pat them dry before cooking. Scallops must be fresh. If they have a fishy or sharp odor to them, do not buy them. Keep shucked scallops on ice in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare them — and that should be as soon as possible. Scallops in the shell should be stored in the refrigerator covered with a damp cloth. Before cooking scallops, remove the white, gristly bit on the side where the muscle was attached to the shell. And remember, a scallop’s saddest fate is to be overcooked. It loses its bounteous spring, becoming instead tough and weary tasting.