This year, the scallop season started Nov. 2 and goes until March.
So I checked in with one of my favorite fish mongers, Charlie Manwaring of Southold Fish Market, who tells us that this year’s bounty is different than last.
“They are not as abundant this year, however, they are scattered throughout the bay in shallow and deep water, which is a very, very good sign,” he said.
Someone will find a “knot” of them and that will be a nice harvest as there are definitely scallops that people haven’t found yet, Charlie said. And within a few feet, you could miss a whole area.
RELATED: PECONIC BAY SCALLOP SEASON OFF TO A ROUGH START
The wind and waves makes a big difference, too, because they can roll in to a gully. There was also a lack of sea grass and spaghetti grass this year, he said, due to the harsh winter.
But let’s not dwell on the negative! Of course we can’t talk about scallops without, at least, getting a recipe or two!
Here’s one of Charlie’s favorite ways to eat scallops:
He personally prefers not to rinse them, roll them in flour and fry them up! Becky, Charlie’s better half, likes to sauté or broil them in butter and garlic. His girls like to eat them raw.
Look out for his ceviche taco coming this week as a special!
Southold Fish Market is located at 64755 Route 25 in Southold. (631) 765-3200
And for another amazing scallop recipe, see the video I did with Robby Beaver of Frisky Oysterwhere he shares one of his favorite recipe for these jewels of Peconic Bay.
See you next time on The Spin!
