tissues are prized in Europe but not in the United States The oyster body (right) is mainly digestive and reproductive organs enclosed in a fleshy mantle; it’s usually eaten whole, the adductor and catch muscles providing a crunchy chewiness Scallops The scallop family includes about 400 species that range from a few millimeters to a yard across Most food scallops are still harvested from the ocean floor Large “sea scallops” (species of Pecten and Placopecten) are dredged from deep, cold waters yearround on trips that may last weeks, while smaller “bay” and “calico” scallops (Argopecten) are either dredged or handgathered by divers closer to shore during a defined season Unlike all the other molluscs, the scallop is mostly delectably tender, sweet muscle! This is because it’s the only bivalve that swims It defends itself from predators by clapping its shells together and forcing water out the hinge end, using a central striated muscle that can be an inch/2 cm or more across and long This adductor muscle makes up such a large portion of the scallop’s body that it also serves as protein and energy storage Its sweet taste comes from large amounts of the amino acid glycine and of glycogen, a portion of which is gradually converted by enzymes into glucose and a related molecule (glucose 6 phosphate) when the animal is killed Because their shells don’t close tightly, scallops are usually shucked soon after harvest, with only the adductor muscle kept for the U.S market, the adductor and yellow and pink reproductive organs for Europe This means that meat quality usually begins to deteriorate long before it gets to market On boats that go out for more than a day, the catch may therefore be frozen and/or dipped in a solution of polyphosphates, which the adductors absorb and retain, becoming plump and glossy white However, such scallops ... acid glycine and of glycogen, a portion of which is gradually converted by enzymes into glucose and a related molecule (glucose 6 phosphate) when the animal is killed Because their shells don’t close tightly,... deteriorate long before it gets to market On boats that go out for more than a day, the catch may therefore be frozen and/ or dipped in a solution of polyphosphates, which the adductors absorb and retain, becoming plump... be an inch/2 cm or more across and long This adductor muscle makes up such a large portion of the scallop’s body that it also serves as protein and energy storage Its sweet taste comes from large amounts of the amino