Tag Archives: Martha’s Vineyard Bay Scallop

Food, Martha's Vineyard, Oak Bluffs

My Favorite Bay Scallop Recipes

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The following Bay Scallop recipes are some of my favorite, as mentioned in my previous post Martha’s Vineyard Bay Scallops.  Sometimes simplicity works best and sometimes we add a bit more to it.

Love Jamie Oliver’s recipe.  Cooking in the shells feels like I’m getting the fullest flavor possible from our sea treasures.

BAKED IN THE SHELLS – Jamie Oliver, COOK withJAMIE

Scatter a good layer of salt or rice over the bottom of a roasting pan and flatten down.  This is going to keep the shells upright and prevent them moving around on the pan.

FLAVORED BUTTER – mix together using clean hands, add pinch of salt and pepper

  • 4 Cloves Garlic, grated
  • handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter

Put a little chopped spinach in the deep side of each shell and lay 2 scallops on top.  Smear a little of the garlic butter on top of the scallops and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Place the the other half of the shell on top and bake in 325 degree oven for 12 minutes.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Mayhew family favorites:

BROILED BAY SCALLOPS

Dip scallops in melted butter, roll in Ritz cracker crumb and pop under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes, turn them and broil for another few minutes, just until no longer translucent.  Serve immediately with tarter sauce and lemon wedges.

Spinach and Scallop Soup

SPINACH SCALLOP SOUP – bon appetit

I have substituted bay scallops for sea scallops but both work great!

Yield: 2 main course servings

  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups (packed) thinly sliced spinach leaves (about 2 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  • 10 ounces sea scallops, halved horizontally, or use Bay Scallops
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and sauté until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add broth, spinach, cream and crushed red pepper. Cover pan and simmer until spinach is tender, about 3 minutes. Add scallops and simmer uncovered until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Mix in basil. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

These are just a few ways to enjoy the gift of bay scallops from our precious seas.  I have found that the bay scallop can be substituted for sea scallops in most recipes but have so much more to offer on their own.  They also freeze very well so we can enjoy them for months to come.

Activities, Families, Food, Martha's Vineyard

Martha’s Vineyard Bay Scallops

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Martha's Vineyard Bay Scallops

One of the best taste treats you will ever have!  The Bay Scallops that are harvested in the late fall and through the winter are some of the sweetest, tastiest and most versitale harvests we have.  The season in most towns on the island begins around the 1st of October for family catch.  Each family is allowed to harvest 1/2 bushel per week as long as you have a shellfish permit.

Our family has enjoyed wading in the pond during low tide and scooping up the scallops with a rake.  I would recommend waders at this time of the year!  The commercial season opens November 1 and they are allowed to catch 2-3 bushels a day depending on the town you fish in, with Saturday and Sundays closed.  The commercial boats tend to use a drag on the bottom and then hoist their catch onto the boat.  Whether you are using a family permit or commercial, it is the shucking that can take the most time to complete.

Shucking Bay Scallops

Shucked Bay Scallops

Bay Scalloping is not only one of the tastiest harvests it is also environmentally friendly.  The Bay Scallop has a little over a two year lifespan.  They spawn in their second year, in the summer months, and die toward the end of their second year.  By harvesting the scallop in November and throughout the winter we are able to enjoy the delectable shellfish prior to it’s demise.  The seed then reaches it’s maturity the following year.

Commercial Scallop Boats on Quitsa Pond

There seem to be many environmental impacts on the bay scallop and some say the amount of scallops available on any given year is cyclical.  Sometimes Oak Bluffs will have a better year over Edgartown.  Chilmark and Aquinnah tend to compare notes on the subject as well.  Vineyard Haven is certainly not out of the mix either. This year happens to be a banner year for all Martha’s Vineyard towns and I intend to make the very most of it.  You can too by contacting Edgartown Seafood Market at 508-627-3791.  They have been packaging and shipping scallops across the country since the commercial opening on November 1.  Stay tuned for some of my favorite recipes!