Snorkeling for Scallops

Posted by Beverly Hill Jul 20, 2009

This past weekend we loaded up our kayaks and took a three hour drive over to Port St. Joe, Fl to try our hand at scalloping. I'd never gone scalloping before, and I'm even more embarrassed to say that I had never eaten them before either. But I knew I liked oysters and having done a bit of research, I was pretty sure I would like scallops.

It was a nice clear day when we arrived at St. Joseph Bay. There were already a few boats out in the bay, so we lost no time launching and paddling out to the the thick beds of eel grass where we dropped anchor, donned our snorkels and mask, and into the water we went. Gliding silently over the eel beds I was met with a variety of sea life; starfish, sea urchins, salt water catfish, lizard fish, and of course, scallops!

I gathered all of my scallops by hand without benefit of a net and can attest to quite a few small cuts where the shells pinched my skin. Next time I go I'll either wear gloves or have a dip net to help avoid that aspect of scalloping. We collected our limit within a couple of hours and then spent the next couple cleaning them. There's an art to it, and after a couple of hours cleaning you start to figure it out.

How did they taste? Awesome! There were worth every little nick and cut I endured and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'd heard that the scallops in St. Joseph Bay had a somewhat sweet taste to them and it's true!. They were absolutely delicious. Even better, my first attempt at cooking scallops seemed to come out flawless. They were perfect!

So if you ever find yourself in Port St. Joe during scalloping season, give it a try.