Steve Saunders (saundsp@highlinerfoods.com)
Thu, 13 Jan 2000 09:24:55 -0400
Marcie:
You were asking about gritty scallops. Grit in scallops is an important
quality characteristic that we monitor in our labs here at High Liner
Foods Inc., http://www.highlinerfoods.com . The grit is usually minute
amounts of sand from the scallop's natural environment. They live out
their lives filtering water for food on sandy ocean bottoms. Here's an
explanation on grit in scallops from John Magee
<mageejj@highlinerfoods.com>, our chief dockside grader at High Liner
Foods Inc. in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- Steve Saunders
"There is always grit in scallop meats. The scallops landed by our
offshore vessels
are held in water directly after catching. The muscle involuntarily
flexes and
allows for residual amounts of sand to be removed. Scallops with a
moisture
content of 80% usually have less than 10 mg of sand per 100 grams. If
the
author was to use hot sodium hydroxide to eat the outer edges of the
muscle she
to would be able to find these very fine pieces of grit. In the author's
case, puree
and cooking are doing the same as sodium hydroxide. Industry standards
would
say that less than 20 mg per 100 grams is acceptable but most large
offshore
vessels exceed this and probably average between 3-5 mg per 100 grams.
Hope this helps."
John Magee
> Subject: Gritty Scallops
> Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2000 13:10:54 -0500
> From: "Marcie Ver Ploeg" <marcie@eznet.net>
> To: seafood@ucdavis.edu
> I'm mystified by my consumer experiments: Top
> quality, shell-off, dry (not soaked), raw sea scallops appear to
have no residual
> sand/grit/shell particles that I can find when I totally "puree" or
smear them
> into a smooth paste (with the flat side of a large chef's knife on
cutting board)
> and examine them under magnification. I did not force this raw
"puree"
> through screens, but it felt totally smooth. However, when this
"puree" is
> cooked (not overcooked), perceptible "grit" happens! Your scientific
> explanations would be appreciated. Could this be some sort of
calcification or
> crystallization that takes place when heat is applied? Thanks for
your
> insights. Marcie Ver PloegVP CommunicationsCo-author Seafood Cooking
for
> Dummies
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