Scallops
What’s In A Name?
As with many delicacies, many stories and traditions
have grown up around the scallop. You may have heard the term “Coquille
de St. Jacques.” While this names a classic scallop preparation, it also
translates to “St. James’ shell.” St. James the Greater was a disciple of
Jesus and is the Patron Saint of Spain. Pilgrims traveling to his shrine
carried a scallop shell with them to signify that they were making a
pilgrimage. At stops along the way on his pilgrimage, the pilgrim was
offered what food he could scoop up in his shell.
The scallop shell is symmetrical and quite
beautiful, and as such is often found in motifs both decorative and
religious. At some time, the scallop shell was linked with fertility, and
it often shows up in classical art along with images of beautiful and desirable
women. A notable example of this is Boticelli’s The Birth Of Venus.
What Are Scallops Really?
It is nice to know a little history of the scallop
as a symbol of pilgrimage and fertility, but what are they? Scallops are
bivalve mollusks. This means that they have two shells. Although
the reproductive organs, or roe, are edible, the part of the scallop that most
people in the United States eat is the adductor muscle that opens and closes
the shell.
Some people refer to this muscle as “the nut.”
Unlike other mollusks that we eat, such as mussels and oysters, most species of
scallops are free-swimming and can propel themselves across the sea floor
several feet at a time by rapidly opening and closing their shells.
Types of Scallops
There are three kinds of scallops that are consumed
in the United States””sea scallops, bay scallops and calico scallops.
- Sea scallops are relatively large, often as many as 1½”-2″ in diameter, and are often presented in beautifully seared platings of two or three.
- Bay scallops are much smaller, although some aficionados find them to be sweeter than sea scallops. Because of their small size, bay scallops are not the ideal scallop for searing but are wonderful in stir-fries and even cooked as scampi to be served as a light pasta sauce.
- Calico scallops are harvested off of the US Gulf and Southern Atlantic coasts. Unlike sea and bay scallops, their shells are tightly closed, and they must be steamed open before further preparation. Although similar in shape, size and color to bay scallops, they are less sweet than their Northern cousins.
Characteristics of Scallops
Speaking of shape, size and color, the adductor
muscle itself can range in color from pale ivory to beige. Raw scallops
are somewhat translucent and are generally round. Large sea scallops might
be up to an inch thick and up to 2″ in diameter, while bay and calico scallops,
while shaped the same, are much smaller.
Moules / Mussels
Mussel is the common
name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from
saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in
common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other
edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.
The word "mussel" is most frequently used
to mean the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae,
most of which live on exposed shores in the intertidal zone, attached by means
of their strong byssal threads ("beard") to a firm substrate. A few
species (in the genus Bathymodiolus) have colonised hydrothermal
vents associated with deep ocean ridges.
In most marine mussels the shell is longer than it
is wide, being wedge-shaped or asymmetrical. The external colour of the shell
is often dark blue, blackish, or brown, while the interior is silvery and
somewhat nacreous.
The common name "mussel" is also used for
many freshwater bivalves, including the freshwater pearl mussels. Freshwater mussel
species inhabit lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, canals, and they are classified
in a different subclass of bivalves, despite some very
superficial similarities in appearance.
Freshwater zebra
mussels and their relatives in the family Dreissenidae are
not related to previously mentioned groups, even though they resemble many Mytilus species
in shape, and live attached to rocks and other hard surfaces in a similar
manner, using a byssus. They are classified with the Heterodonta,
the taxonomic group which includes most of the bivalves commonly referred to as
"clams".
Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussel
Anchovies
What Is an Anchovy?
An anchovy is a small oily fish that is abundant in
the Pacific.2 Anchovies usually travel in schools, making it easier for
fishermen to catch large amounts of their population. However, this has led to
numerous manufacturers to overfish, eventually endangering the stability of its
population around the world. This pushed numerous countries to establish strict
fishing regulations to limit anchovy fishing.
Anchovies have been part of the culinary world for
centuries, having been used by the Roman civilization in making “garum,” a type
of fermented fish made up of anchovies, brine, fish innards and aromatic fresh
herbs. This was usually used as a condiment or as an addition to different
dishes and meals.4 Anchovies were also eaten raw so as to trigger an
aphrodisiac effect.
Nowadays, anchovies are available fresh, preserved
in glass jars or tin cans, or dried. Because of their pungent fishy smell,
people often turn their noses and refuse to even try anchovies. But together
with their refusal to eat this fish, they’re refusing healthy amounts of
omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and many more nutrients necessary for the body to
function as well.
By knowing how to prepare this fish the correct way,
you’ll be able to appreciate its flavor and acquire a plethora of impressive
health benefits.
What Are the Health Benefits That Anchovies Have to
Offer?
Even though anchovies are small and usually
incorporated in recipes to only boost the flavor, they actually contain high amounts
of minerals and nutrients. Even adding a small serving of anchovies to a dish
can lift its nutritional content. Here are some of the health benefits you can
get from these small fishes.
Minimizes the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Anchovies
have high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that help in
preventing inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. In addition to this, they
have good amounts of calcium and magnesium, essential minerals that regulate
blood pressure and circulation. Their niacin content also contributes to the
lowering of cholesterol and triglycerides.
Promotes skeletal health. This type of fish
contains calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, which help the body maintain and
improve bone health and bone growth.
Assists in tissue and cell repair. Anchovies
are abundant in protein that is needed for cell metabolism and tissue repair. This
helps in triggering a healing effect in the body, especially when there’s
damage or injury present.
Aids in weight loss. Anchovies are low in
calories and high in protein. The high amounts of protein helps in triggering a
body response that makes you feel full, while also limiting your calorie
intake.
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