What Are Bay scallops and How Can I Use Them?

If bay scallops have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 64 recipes to try them in.

Key Points

Small, sweet scallops about ½ inch across, 70 to 90 per pound, sweeter than sea scallops.
Sear fast and hot, 1 to 2 minutes, and pull the instant they turn opaque.
Overcooking turns them to rubber; a wet or crowded pan steams them gray instead of searing.
Buy "dry" untreated scallops; soaked phosphate-treated ones weep and cook poorly.
Cook fresh within a day or two, or use frozen; cook to 145°F (63°C).

What are bay scallops?

Bay scallops are the small, sweet cousins of the big sea scallop. Each one is about the size of a marble, roughly ½ inch across. You get 70 to 90 of them to a pound. They come from small bay-dwelling shellfish harvested mostly along the US Atlantic coast.

The flavor is delicate and noticeably sweeter than sea scallops, with a tender, almost springy bite. They cook in a flash, which is both their charm and the thing that trips people up.

Because they are so small, they go from juicy to rubbery in well under two minutes. Cook them just to opaque and pull them, and they reward you. Push them and they tighten into little erasers.

Cooking With Bay Scallops

A hot, fast sear is the move. Pat the scallops bone dry, get a pan ripping hot with a little oil or butter, and cook them in a single uncrowded layer for about 1 to 2 minutes total, tossing once.

They are done the second they turn opaque and firm up slightly, as in a quick Bay Scallop Saute.

Their sweetness comes alive next to garlic and butter, which is why they slip so easily into a pan of Shrimp & Scallops, Garlic alongside their crustacean partners.

Toss them into pasta off the heat so the residual warmth finishes them, the way Scallop & Smoked Salmon Pasta lets them stay tender. They also fold gently into eggs for a Seafood Frittata, or poach briefly in a sherry-spiked cream for Scallops in Sherry.

For chowder, add bay scallops at the very end. Stir them into the hot pot, cut the heat, then let them sit for a minute or two. They will cook through on their own without seizing up.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Bay scallops love bright, buttery, gentle company. Lemon, white wine, garlic, fresh herbs, and cream all set off their sweetness without burying it. Smoked fish and a little cured pork play well too.

The number one mistake is overcooking. A rubbery scallop is almost always a scallop left in the pan thirty seconds too long. Cook to just-opaque and stop.

The second is a wet pan. Surface moisture steams the scallops gray instead of searing them, so dry them thoroughly first. If they are wet "soaked" scallops treated with phosphate solution, they will weep even more, so blot hard and use a very hot pan.

The third is crowding. Pile them in and the pan temperature crashes, and they boil in their own liquid. Work in batches if you have a lot.

Substitutes

Sea scallops are the natural stand-in, but they are much bigger, so quarter them to roughly bay-scallop size and add a few seconds to the cook. They are a little less sweet and a little meatier.

Calico scallops, often sold as bay scallops, are smaller and cheaper and usually steam-shucked, which makes them firmer. They work in chowders and pastas where exact texture matters less.

Peeled small shrimp are a good non-scallop swap in sautes and pasta, similar in sweetness and quick to cook, though firmer and not as silky. In a baked or creamed dish, chunks of a mild white fish like cod can fill in.

Buying and Storing

Look for scallops that are moist, plump, and slightly translucent, with a clean, sweet, briny smell. Color ranges from creamy white to pale pink or tan, all fine; a stark bright-white, water-logged look signals soaked, phosphate-treated scallops that shed liquid in the pan.

Ask for "dry" or "dry-packed" scallops if you can. They are untreated, so they sear far better and taste cleaner. Soaked or "wet" scallops are cheaper but cook poorly.

Fresh scallops are best used the day you buy them. Keep them very cold over ice in the fridge and cook within a day or two.

Frozen bay scallops are excellent since they freeze well. Thaw them in the fridge, then drain and pat dry before cooking. Cook scallops to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).