Hunting
Rock ScallopsFor the rank beginner wanting to gather their own fresh seafood on their dives, there is no better place to start than with rock scallops. The reward is as tasty as it gets. My wife likes them better than lobster, if you can believe that! Unlike lobster, rock scallops don't run away. The season is open all year. Unlike abalone, you can take them on scuba and in any California waters (except preserves). The daily limit is 10-more than enough for a good meal for two, and the equipment needed is limited and inexpensive. Ready to get started?
WHERE THEY ARE
Scallops are not everywhere. While not rare, in some places they are quite abundant-where in others, non-existent.
Rock scallops are filter feeders. And because they are stationary, they rely on currents to bring them their tiny microscopic food. Where you find currents laden with microscopic life, you will find scallops. Offshore, rocky pinnacles are good. Leading edges of reefs bathed in currents are good spots also. Wrecks and oil platforms are also good hunting grounds. Tidal currents also bring food to some of the largest scallops I have ever seen found deep in the Los Angeles Harbor, but I would not DARE eat these!
Good spots around the Channel Islands include the backside of Anacapa Island, frontside of Santa Cruz Island and various rock pinnacles, along the backside of Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands. Famous rock pinnacles like Wilson, Richardson and Begg Rocks are legendary for the quantity, size, and quality of the their rock scallop populations. San Miguel Island is surrounded by pinnacles that are prime scallop hunting grounds. Some of these dives are only for the more experienced, so listen to your boat captain. Offshore rocks along the central and north coasts generally provide a wealth of scallops.
FINDING
THEM
This is actually the most difficult part of getting your scallop dinner. There is a reason they call them rock scallops. They tend to look like rocks. They are often covered with marine life much like their surrounding reef habitat, making them nearly indistinguishable from the reef. The key is to spot them when they are open. When their mantle is showing, a bright orange "smile" can been seen on the reef. It takes a more keen eye to spot those scallops with a gray mantle (fewer in number, same species, but just as tasty).
SHOULD YOU TAKE?
Rock scallops grow slowly, cementing themselves to the rock over time. Although there is no size limit on scallops, do not take any smaller than the palm of your hand. Also, scallops are less abundant on some reefs than others. Do not take from any reef in which they are not abundant. Both of these practices will give scallops a greater chance of reproducing for future catches. And finally, do not take scallops from polluted waters.
HOW TO TAKE
There are two schools of thought here. First, you can clean the scallop right where it is on the reef, removing the wanted meat underwater, leaving the shell in place. You will need a long thin knife to insert in the shell and cut the abductor muscle that holds the scallop tightly shut. The idea is that by not taking the shell, where a lot of other critters may make their home, less damage is done to the reef. You will also be dragging around a lot less weight than if you were to have taken the entire shell. It is, however, more difficult to properly clean a scallop underwater. Some meat may be wasted and you may run afoul of Fish and Game regulations. The limit on scallops is 10 per day. If the meat is removed from the shell, the Fish and Game officer counts each piece of meat as one scallop. When cleaning a scallop, extreme care must be taken to keep the meat in just one piece per scallop. This is difficult to do underwater.
Taking the scallop, shell and all, can be a bit more difficult but there are advantages. First, because you are taking just one whole scallop, there is no doubt about how many scallops you've taken. Also, once out of the water, a scallop in its shell, so long as it's kept cool and moist, will stay fresh for many hours- a decided advantage for those long drives home from the boat docks.
To take rock scallops, shell and all, you'll need a stout, long dive knife. Choose a knife that is not too brittle, not too soft. A blunt point might be a good feature. There are two tricks here: First, find the key point of attachment and attack it. Second, know when to give up or leave the tough ones alone. Sometimes your time is better spent to just move on.
CLEANING
A large cream colored muscle inside the center of the shell is what you are going to want to eat, but it is also what is holding the scallop so tightly shut. A thin, long knife will do the trick. On one side of the scallop will be a slight opening, usually large enough to get a thin knife into. Insert the knife and sweep the blade, cutting the muscle. Pull the shell apart and separate the viscera from the muscle "button" in the middle of each side of the shell. Discard the viscera and scrape the button of meat from the shell. Rinse. Although the scallops will keep in the fridge for 24 hours and in the freezer for a week or so, for maximum enjoyment, you will want to eat them as soon as possible.
EATING
Some say, this author included, that the best way to eat rock scallops is fresh from the shell raw. The texture is firm and flavor delicate but rich, almost nutty.
If you must cook it, do so lightly. A bit of butter in a frying pan will work well. Cook it just until the meat becomes opaque, no longer.
Dale Sheckler is editor of California Diving News, coauthor of the book Southern California's Best Beach Dives, and producer of the largest consumer dive expo in the western U.S., SCUBA Show 2000, June 3 & 4 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
