Baked Scallops Day

What the day is

Baked Scallops Day is observed on March 12. Baked here usually means scallops in a shallow dish under a crumb or butter topping, run through a hot oven or broiler for a few minutes.

The method is more forgiving than searing for a home cook, because the topping shields the surface, but the fundamental constraint is the same: scallops are nearly all muscle and go from translucent to rubber in a very short window.

Origin and background

The origin of the observance is not documented.

The shell is among the most enduring emblems in European culture. It is the badge of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, worn by pilgrims for centuries and still marking the routes today, and it appears throughout classical and Renaissance art in association with Venus, most famously in Botticelli's painting of her arrival on a shell.

At the fish counter the important distinction is dry versus wet. Wet scallops have been treated with a phosphate solution, which makes them absorb water and gain weight. They look bright white, leak liquid in the pan, steam instead of browning, and often taste faintly soapy. Dry scallops are untreated, slightly ivory or pinkish, and sear properly. Dry are worth the price difference.

Size grading is given as a count per pound, so a lower number means larger scallops. Sea scallops are the large ones suited to baking; bay scallops are small, sweeter and cook in barely a minute.

How to take part

• Buy dry-packed scallops and ask if the label does not say.
• Pat them thoroughly dry and remove the small tough side muscle if it is still attached.
• Use a hot oven and a shallow dish so they cook fast rather than poaching in their own liquid.
• Pull them when the centers are barely opaque. They continue cooking after they come out.
• Keep the topping thin. Heavy breadcrumb turns the dish into a gratin with scallops somewhere underneath.
• Finish with lemon and parsley, and serve immediately.