Dear Lisa: Why is it that you can buy clams, oysters and mussels in the shell at the store, but not scallops? Just wondering. -- J.G.
Dear J.G.: When properly handled, clams, oysters and mussels can remain alive and healthy for days after harvesting.
These mollusks can tightly clamp their shells and thus preserve their internal liquid environments after being pulled from the water.
In fact, you should only cook these bivalves if their shells are closed or immediately close when disturbed. This defense mechanism is your assurance that they are alive, and therefore safe to eat.
Scallops cannot clamp their shells tightly enough to seal effectively. And, while all of the clam, oyster or mussel organism is consumed, it is only the large abductor muscle of the scallop that we eat.
When the scallop is harvested, it is shucked on the boat and only the abductor muscle is collected.
* Lisa Fritz, a longtime Bryan food and nutrition educator, answers readers' questions about food, cooking and recipes. Her e-mail address is cheflisa525@yahoo.com.
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