Even if you’re used to cooking and eating scallops at home, you’re probably not used to seeing them in the shell. You may not even know that what we usually refer to as a scallop – those little round white nuggets – are actually just part of the scallop. They are the scallop’s adductor muscle that allows them to “swim” by shooting water out of their shells to propel them.

The pink and spiny scallops (also called ‘swimming’ scallops) we get from Joel and Melissa Collier, on the other hand, are much smaller than the varieties usually commercially available. They’re also much more complex and flavourful, and instead of just eating the adductor muscle, they are best-eaten whole.

These scallops are sold in the shell, and can be prepared in a variety of ways, from raw to steamed to BBQed – basically any way you would cook a clam or mussel. You can also sub them into dishes that call for clams, but because the Colliers flush the sand out of their scallops at sea you don’t need to worry about any grittiness!

How to Grill Scallops

Grilling scallops is a quick, easy, and delicious way to enjoy them, but we also recommend you check out all the Collier’s scallop recipes at wildscallops.ca/recipes for more inspiration!

1. Take scallops straight from the freezer and put them on a hot grill
2. Most will pop open when they’re close to being cooked – the best way to tell when they are done is to check that white meat is firm (but not rubbery) to the touch. They are safe to eat raw, so test different levels of doneness to find out how you prefer them.
3. Remove from the grill, top with lemon juice or your favourite sauce, and eat right away.

And check out more scallop recipes here!