Scalloping… Good Family Fun!

A family favorite around our house every summer is the beginning of “scallop” season… when July arrives we make a pilgrimage up to the Crystal River area for some good family fun.  Scalloping is also a great way to beat the summer heat … the cool clear water of the Nature Coast is very refreshing while probing for these tasty shellfish morsels.

The basic gear you’ll need to have for your scalloping adventure is a mask, snorkel, fins, and a mesh bag for collecting your scallops.  You also must have a dive flag visibly displayed on your vessel and I recommend a floating buoy-style dive flag for snorkelers prospecting away from an anchored boat… safety is important with above average boat traffic!  Always keep one adult onboard to keep everyone safe while the rest of your friends and family are harvesting… again safety first.  Remember it’s just like a big “Easter Egg” underwater… you’ll find plenty of scallops in the eel grass beds in about 3’ to 8’ of water.  Wave your hand through the eel grass and you’ll notice the scallops resting dark side of the shell up… when you reach for them, you’ll discover that they’re amazingly good escape artists; jetting away!   

Here are some of the regulations for scalloping but always check for updates at www.myFWC.com for rule changes.   Florida’s scallop season typically opens July 1 but this year because of the BP Gulf Oil Disaster it opened two weeks earlier.  You’ll need a Florida saltwater fishing license and scallop harvesting is only permitted from about Aripeka, FL north to around Mexico Beach, FL… again check the FWC website for exact border coordinates.  Most important are your harvesting limits… recreational harvesters are allowed 2 gallons of scallops in the shell or 1 pint of scallop meat per person.  The boat limit regardless of the number of harvesters (5 or more) is 10 gallons in the shell or a ½ gallon of scallop meat total.  Don’t exceed your limit… play by the rules and we will always have a healthy scallop crop!

Lastly, there is a little work involved with cleaning the harvested scallops but it’s well worth it.  The work goes fast if you have two or three people cleaning the scallops… ten gallons can be done in one hour once you get the hang of it.  Here is the quick run-down on the cleaning process… open the shell with an oyster knife and cut the dark side of the shell away from the scallop meat.  Then carefully take the knife and scrape from the base of the scallop meat attached in the lighter colored shell upwards to remove the organs (guts) of the scallop… this leaves just the white scallop meat.  Finally, gently cut the clean white scallop meat from the shell, rinse and put on ice.  Repeat.

There are some fantastic scallop recipes online… here at Flats Class we like them “scampi style” over white rice or mixed in with shrimp over a bed of angel hair pasta with a spicy red sauce ladled on top.  Ummm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it… so get in on the fun, take your friends and family scalloping this summer, you’ll love it!

Keep’em Bent