Scalloping 101

OK, I've had a couple of people ask, "Just HOW do you scallop?" Sooooo...for anyone who is not from the Gulf Coast of Florida, here's how:

1. You must have the proper "equipment". This includes a snorkel, mask, fins, and mesh net or bag. You must also have a red "dive flag". Water shoes are helpful for the "ewwww" factor when you step into underwater grassbeds--if you don't wear fins. We like to use "noodles" to float on as well occasionally. I also use a small net for "scooping"...but the rest of my family just grabs them by hand (I'm getting ahead of myself.).

The photo on the left is my Dad and DS 3 showing off their "scalloping gear". Aren't they a fine looking pair?

2. In the Gulf, you cannot start scalloping until July 1st. The season ends Sept. 10th, but let me just say the waters are CRAWLING with people scalloping during the first week of July. The picture to the right shows my DSs 1, 2, and 4 in 2000 going out to the Scallop grounds in Steinhatchee which is Northern Florida.

3. We go about a mile or two out into the Gulf where the seagrass beds are in about 4 - 8 feet of water. The trick to catching them is to FIND them! On sunny days, the sun seems to shine on their eyes which are all along the inside of their shells. Otherwise, they can blend in with the grass pretty well. Once you see one, you scoop it up and put it in your bag. The bag allows you to stay under water for quite a while so you can collect several.

4. When you catch them, you put them on ice so they will open up. Some are more"stubborn" than others and open very little if at all. The limit in Florida for whole scallops is 2 gallons per day per person---or 10 gallons per boat. The limit for shelled scallops is 1 pint of meat per day...think about that...2 gallons with the shells is roughly equal to two small "school size" milk cartons! The photo on the left shows DS 4 "dumping" our catch into the cooler.

5. Now the "FUN" part is CLEANING the darn things!

6. You can open the scallop by sticking a spoon or a knife at the back part near the hinges. You kind of slide the knife around the opening carefully and it will "lift away" the shell. If you hold the dark side up, you won't ruin the meat inside.

7. The "innards" look like this:

This is the "tricky" part. If you take your knife and gently pull the "gross" stuff ...that's the dark brownish/yellowish "junk"... away from the muscle that's in the middle of the shell...it's possible to pull it off in one fell swoop (as Grandma would say). And speaking of Grandma, the photo just above is my Grandma and me scooping the GUTS out of the scallops while DS 4 looks on. Doesn't she look THRILLED??

8. When you get the "goop" out, there is a nice white muscle left. It looks like this:

You just scoop it out and you're ready to EAT THEM!

It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun, too. If you want to skip steps 5 - 8, and just do the "eating", then you can pay for someone at a dock to do them for you. They are FAST and sometimes it's worth it.

So, if any of you are in or near the Gulf Coast of Florida from Homosassa up to Steinhatchee from July 1st though Sept. 10th, you can go "get yourself some supper"!

{Note: I borrowed the close-up scallop pictures from this website. I just thought I'd go ahead and paste them here to preserve my directions for years to come! Plus that, I thought I'd send my extended family into total shock that I would post this little "how-to" manual!}