What is the difference between scallops and oysters? Wash them this way to get them really clean!

When scallops are mentioned, most people probably know them. Not only are they highly nutritious, but the dried scallop made from their adductor muscle is listed among the Eight Treasures, so you can imagine how highly valued they are. But because they look similar to oysters, many people think they are the same thing. So what is the difference between scallops and oysters? How do you wash them to get them really clean?

I. Introduction to scallops:

1. Where do scallops live?

Scallops like to live on hard seabeds at a depth of 10 to 30 m, and are mainly found in low-tide sea areas with fast-flowing currents, clear water and relatively high salinity. In addition, they are also quite common on reefs, shells or gravel, and they like to live in groups.

2. What do scallops eat as they grow?

Scallops mainly feed on suspended chaetoceros algae, diatoms, bacteria, plankton and tiny particles in seawater.

II. What is the difference between scallops and oysters?

Difference 1, different appearance: The upper and lower shells of a scallop are symmetrical, and the shell has a fan-shaped pattern; an oyster also has two shells, but one is fixed to rock or another object, making the shells different in size and shape. Generally, the shell attached to another object is slightly larger and slightly concave, while the other side is flat and slightly smaller.

Difference 2, different color: Scallops are orange-red; oysters are grayish-white.

Difference 3, different living environment: Scallops like to live on hard seabeds at 10 to 30 m, and their byssus generally attaches to shells, reefs and other objects, and they are more common in northern coastal areas; oysters like to grow in shallow bays with brackish water, and are generally common where the sea meets rivers.

Difference 4, different nutritional composition: Scallops are rich in vitamin E, cholesterol and calcium, among which the vitamin E content is 11 times that of oysters and the calcium content is 4 times that of oysters; oysters are rich in zinc, selenium, potassium and other elements, among which the zinc content is 7 times that of scallops.

Difference 5, different effects: Scallops are mostly used to lower cholesterol; oysters are mostly used to protect the liver and promote bile flow. When pregnant women eat them, they promote fetal development, and when men eat them, they have a virility-enhancing effect.

Difference 6, different cooking methods: Scallops are mostly steamed plainly, used in soup or stir-fried over high heat; oysters are mostly grilled or pan-fried.

III. How do you wash scallops to get them really clean?

Step 1: Soak the freshly bought scallops in water for a while, then rinse the sand and mud off them with water. If they have been soaked for a long time and there is no mud in the basin, it is best to add a little rapeseed oil to the water to isolate the water from the air and make the scallops spit out the mud inside, which makes cleaning much easier.

Step 2: Cut the scallop open with a knife, then cut the meat out completely by keeping close to the bottom of the shell.

Step 3: Use a knife to remove the internal organs from the scallop meat completely, then put it in a bowl and soak it in salt water for two to three minutes. While soaking, try to stir it with chopsticks so as to quickly get the sand and mud out.

Step 4: Take the scallop meat out, then add an appropriate amount of cornstarch and rub it into the meat to completely remove the remaining sand and mud, and finally rinse it with water.

In addition, if you are making scallops with glass noodles or steamed scallops in black bean sauce, it is best to use a brush to thoroughly clean the sand and mud off the shells so that they can be used as the base.

Overall, there are still big differences between scallops and oysters. If it is hard to tell them apart, you can distinguish them using the few tips above. In addition, scallops contain a lot of sand and mud, so when cleaning them you can follow the four steps above, and then you will not end up eating sand and mud.