FWIW, I have bought frozen scallops at Sam's and they were perfectly fine. Not quite as good as never-frozen-fresh-off-the-docks, but what is?

Whereever you buy them try to find the designation "dry" scallops. They're not pumped up with salts and water.

We buy scallops regularly from Costco, but it varies by region. Here in the Southwest the scallops are great, very little water, big and tasty. In New England they used to be like this, but over the past 5 years, they became smaller and I think they were entirely held together with added liquid.

If I think the scallops have had water added, I sprinkle with some salt a couple of hours before cooking. Rinse well and pat dry. This draws excess fluids out, though in NE the scallops would then fall apart and be useless. We stopped buying them. Here I don't need to do any pre-treatment, just pat dry and cook.

Cheryl

obrian, I've gotten scallops at Meijer and they are as good as any I've gotten anywhere else here in Michigan (which is not excellent, but passable).

As mentioned, try to get the dry scallops, they don't leach out so much liquid that you can't get a good sear. Be sure to pat them dry before cooking, but I'm sure you already know that.

Annie

If you have a GFS near you, they have frozen dry scallops that are quite good. Only problem is that they only come in 5 lb bags, so they cost a bit....

Remember that "dry" only means they have not been treated with phosphates, a preservative. Dry scallops will have liquid packed in, wet will have the preservative and liquid. In either case, you may not see the liquid until you defrost them.

Defrost them in a colander and pat them dry very well if you do a sauté in a screaming hot pan to brown them.

If you do not have a fish monger, I think your best bet is Costco, Sam's and GFS.

I assume you are not talking about bay scallops, which are easier to fake than large sea scallops.

Costco typically sells dry pack scallops. Sometimes if you are in a supermarket's seafood department, you often find the clerk may not know the difference between wet and dry.

You can tell the wet ones are more uniformly white, and the dry pack ones varies in color.

If you really want to be a good environmentalist, buy diver scallops.

Don't overcook them!

dcarch

This post was edited by dcarch on Fri, May 24, 13 at 7:48

Yes, Peppi is right, there is a difference between untreated scallops (also called dry) and treated scallops. I have only seen the treated ones here, whether purchased "fresh" (really just thawed) or frozen.

What I meant is that they need to be patted dry, as they are invariably frozen or were previously frozen, we're a long way from anywhere scallops might come from and still be fresh. Otherwise they sit in the pan and kind of poach in their own liquid and you can't get a good sear.

I have seen them at both Sam's Club and Gordon Food Service, but they are always frozen. As they are quite expensive, I seldom want to buy as large an amount as I have to in those places. At Meijer's they'll sell me a pound, or half a dozen, whichever I choose.

Annie

Phosphates, salts, sodium phosphates, I'm not clear on which os what but my understanding is that dry scallops are frozen "as is" without water pumped into them, whereas the phosphates promote water absorption, among other things. The first handful of google results are consistent with this description.

This post was edited by foodonastump on Thu, May 23, 13 at 22:55

FOAS, I think you misunderstood. The liquid you find in either version is from the scallop and not pumped in. When defrosted the meat releases the natural liquid.

Well not physically pumped in, but extra water absorbed. Here's a quote that states that the added water is released during cooking. It doesn't specifically mention freezing/ thawing, and I've never bought frozen scallops.

"Wet scallops are commonly treated with Phosphates which is a preservative. When scallops are soaked in phosphates, they absorb water making them weigh more and thereby costing you more. (Take in mind, that you are paying for added water.) The absorbed water evaporates during cooking and, in turn, shrinks your scallops leaving them smaller, dry and somewhat tasteless. Furthermore, the added water does not let scallops brown properly during cooking. It is generally easy to discern treated scallops as they will usually appear snow-white in color."

Here is a link that might be useful: Source

Here's an article from the NYT describing the difference between dry and wet scallops. The article is about the Bomster family where we get our scallops. We buy them direct from the dock. Scallops are not inexpensive. I would buy a steak before purchasing wet pack scallops.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Wet/Dry Scallops, Bomster Family