Scallops: Where’s the Coral?

Published on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, by Sarah Perry / Edit Post

Scallop coral, the tasty roe that occurs naturally in a scallop along with the familiar muscle meat, is usually missing from scallops available in the United States. Why is this? “The coral is highly perishable and deteriorates much more quickly than the scallop muscle itself,” says MakingSense. “It’s not practical for shipping and handling through the wholesale process.”

Chowhounds have some luck getting fresh scallops with their coral still attached as sashimi at Japanese restaurants, or at Japanese markets. “I personally love the coral of scallops and it’s so sad that you can’t get it in the U.S.,” says kobetobiko. “Occasionally I can find whole scallops in shells or the corals as sashimi, but only very rarely, and usually come with a high price.” kobetobiko has even had a dish in England that featured nothing but a plate of corals. “It’s a wonderful dish,” says kobetobiko.

Board Link: Why is the coral separated from the scallop?

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  • Great news for anyone who lives in or goes to Ocean City, MD. Martin Fish Company, located in West Ocean City at the commercial harbor, has started to bring in locally caught scallops still in their wonderful shells, still with the delicious coral intact, as it should be. Look them up the next time you're in the area. The local lobster is smashing, too! Their number in Ocean City is 410-213-2195...+READ

    Great news for anyone who lives in or goes to Ocean City, MD. Martin Fish Company, located in West Ocean City at the commercial harbor, has started to bring in locally caught scallops still in their wonderful shells, still with the delicious coral intact, as it should be. Look them up the next time you're in the area. The local lobster is smashing, too! Their number in Ocean City is 410-213-2195 and ask for Erika. We're picking up 3 dozen in the morning for a "celebration of scallops" shindig we're hosting on Saturday afternoon.-COLLAPSE

  • If you ever get the chance to go to Venice, you'll find that they usually serve the scallop with the roe. The first time I saw it--1977--I had no idea what it was having only had scallops in DC. My relatives explained it to me and I've been searching for them here all these years to no avail.