Nantucket Scalloping
October 1st, wet suits on and basket in tow, one of Nantucket’s oldest traditions starts again – scallop season, just as the busy summer is coming to a close, the last weddings of the season are celebrated and the water begins to cool. You’ll find groups of people snorkeling for them or raking along the harbor floor, scooping up a local (a beyond) delicacy. Shuck your first find and eat it fresh, raw, from the shell standing in the ocean and the joy of scalloping comes to life.
My first memory of scallop season was just after a major hurricane when the winds and waves washed so many to shore, you could walk down the beach and simply pick them up. So, that’s what my family did. Gathered as many as we could, all our friends with us, brought them home, set up a shucking table, turned on the music and spent the afternoon in the sunshine shucking away. Eating some raw, saving some for dinner that night, freezing the rest to savor for the year. 8-year-old me was hooked.
The first time I joined was only a few years ago, I went snorkeling and it is as simple as it sounds. As you snorkel through the water, looking in the eel grass where they grow, you collect scallops as you see them and place them in the basket floating along with you. Checking them for the correct size and growth ring, ensuring they’re at least a year old and will meet the regulations put in place by the Shellfish Association. Once your basket or bag is full, simply swim to shore, double check your bounty and get to work pulling them from the shells!
The possibilities are endless with Nantucket bays, raw or cooked, a fried scallop roll or fresh ceviche, over a fall risotto or wrapped in bacon, you cannot go wrong. The flavor profile is much sweeter than that of a sea scallop, but still with that salt water umami. Naturally the perfect bite size. My personal favorite preparation – get a pan very hot with butter and a touch of oil, dry the scallops on a paper towel and season with salt just before going into the pan, once in do not move them at all to ensure the perfect sear, after a minute shake the pan, add a squeeze of lemon, maybe a small pad of butter, fresh pepper and that’s it. Eaten with toothpicks from a shared bowl, they’ll be gone in seconds.
To me, scalloping is communal, meant to share with friends and family, while some shuck, others prepare the meal and switch off when shucking becomes tiresome. Friends watch from the beach who don’t enjoy the water, hot tea ready for those coming out a bit frozen, on a day with a noon low tide, the October sun still just warm enough to thaw you out after an hour in the water. The feeling of enjoying a meal that you gathered yourself. It’s one of a kind.
Scalloping expanded my appreciation for seasonality and locality in cooking. It gives a special type of appreciation for Nantucket and what the island provides, especially after the busy season. Offering a moment to slow down, reconnect and enjoy – bringing new inspiration and ideas to my career and everyone that participates.
