shellfish · The Trophy Room
Spiny Pink Scallop
The little swimming scallop of the Pacific Northwest, and one of its prettiest shells — pink and orange fan-shaped valves, often furred with a crust of sponge. Unlike the big scallops you buy trimmed to a single muscle, these are eaten whole, and steamed open they're sweet and delicate, a real diver's and forager's treat.
Identifying
- small fan-shaped shell with radiating ribs, colored pink, orange, or yellow
- ribs bear little spines, and the shell is frequently coated in a living sponge (its camouflage and defense)
- a fringe of tiny blue eyes along the mantle edge inside
- much smaller than a commercial sea scallop — eaten whole, not just the muscle
Facts
- they swim — clapping the shell to jet away from predators like sea stars in a comical zig-zag
- the sponge crust is a partnership: the sponge gets a ride, the scallop gets a coat sea stars won't grip
- gathered by divers over the right rocky bottom; check shellfish rules and biotoxin closures first
