Stonington Seafood Harvesters – Bomster Scallops
Family owned and operated, honor system business that has perfected scallops. If you have not had a Stonington Bomster Scallop, you are missing out!
The scallops they bring back from 10- to 12-day trips out into the Atlantic are so good and so fresh that the Bomsters have built a cultlike following through word of mouth for over 30 years. Customers can take vacuum-packed one-pound bags of scallops anytime from freezers in front of the shop and put payment through a mail slot.
Unlike bay scallops, which are harvested from October through April in the waters around New York, sea scallops are harvested year round. The Bomsters search for them from Newfoundland to North Carolina in their twin 90-foot scallop trawlers. What sets Bomster scallops apart is the way they are processed. A captain and six-person crew haul up a load of scallops every few hours. The crew works rotating shifts for days at a time — seven hours on, five hours off — cutting and rinsing the scallops in seawater, vacuum-packing them and flash-freezing them, all within three hours after they are hauled out of the water. You can’t get fresher than that!
The process differs dramatically from the conventional or ”wet” process used by most scallop operations, where the scallops are shelled and iced in denim bags, then treated with chemicals at a processing house. In the wet process, scallops are soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate, which promotes water retention, and chlorine dioxide, which bleaches them.
The market for high quality dry-processed scallops is growing as people become more aware of clean eating and avoiding potentially dangerous chemicals in our food.
Cooking Scallops
There are 3 Secrets to Pan-Searing Scallops Just RIGHT!
1 – Scallops need to be patted completely dry before being put in pan. (Rinse well, pat dry with paper towels). This is what gives them the golden caramelized color. Sprinkle with Pink Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper.
2 – Scallops must be cooked in hot pan…use equal part butter and oil and make sure it’s steaming hot before placing scallops into the pan.
3 – Do not overcook! Sea Scallops (average size) need only about 3 minute per side. And do not move them around the pan or flip back and forth. Simply place in pan with oli (and or butter) and peak at 3 minutes and if it’s golden brown, flip and cook 3 minutes on the other side. (Adjust time up or down depending on size of scallops).
I then remove my scallops (cover and set aside) and thrown some garlic, red onion and fresh spinach in the pan for just a few minutes to sear and then pour mixture on top of scallops – dinner served!