WILD FLORIDA
TINY TREASURES SCALLOPING PROVIDES GOOD TIMES AND GREAT EATS Written by: Paul Thurman, Ph.D.
I checked the mail and I’d received a copy of a popular fishing magazine that had a picture on the cover of a bucket full of scallops. I pointed it out to my friends and all had the same response—we loved to eat scallops but had never gone “scalloping.” That was our cue. We loaded up in my truck, armed with a couple buckets and my snorkeling equipment, and headed to the coast, driving west on U.S. 98 toward St. Joseph Bay. Once we arrived, we started seeing piles of scallop shells on the side of the road next to the bay and figured we must be in the right spot. We parked and waded out into the grass flats, not seeing much until we got a couple hundred yards out. Then we saw them … everywhere. Within half an hour, we had our limit—and sore backs from bending over
constantly. The next couple hours were spent cleaning our bounty and enjoying a couple well-earned beverages. This was followed by one of the most satisfying meals I’ve had to this day. I was hooked. Scalloping is a great activity for the whole family. In fact, many people who don’t enjoy fishing with a rod and reel do enjoy scalloping. You don’t have to be quiet or particularly skilled. For lots of families, the opening of scallop season is an annual ritual in which everyone travels to the coast for a couple days to gather these small delicacies. While a boat can provide access to unscalloped seagrass beds that can’t be accessed by foot, it’s certainly not required, especially in areas such as St. Joseph Bay in Gulf County. Compared to other types of fishing, not much equipment is required—only a bag or bucket to put your catch in. You’ll also need access to healthy grass flats with clear water. Scallops tend to like saltier water than other bivalves such as oysters, so be sure to target seagrass beds in coastal estuaries like Steinhatchee rather than bays like Tampa Bay.
DON’T CONFUSE OUR BAY SCALLOPS WITH THEIR LARGER COUSINS—THE OCEAN SCALLOP. WHILE BAY SCALLOPS ARE ONLY ABOUT A THIRD THE SIZE OF SEA SCALLOPS, THEY ARE WIDELY CONSIDERED TO HAVE A SWEETER TASTE AND A MORE TENDER TEXTURE. BAY SCALLOPS TEND TO HAVE SHELLS UP TO ONLY A FEW INCHES ACROSS.
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F LO R I D A C O U NTRY A p r i l | M a y 2 0 2 1
PHOTO BY JOHN CROWE
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ummer in Tallahassee, Florida, can be quite boring for a college student. Most of my friends had gone home and only a few stayed in town. It was early one morning during the summer of 1994 and we were trying to figure out what to do that day.
