# Scallops in Texas



## padrefigure (Aug 22, 2006)

Around Port O'Connor, the beaches are covered with Scallop shells. One would think that means that the living version would lurk close by. But I never hear of anyone gathering these tasty shellfish like they do in NW Florida. What's the story?


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## RUFcaptain (Aug 12, 2011)

Bay scallops = stingrays 
Lol


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## J_Philla (Oct 22, 2009)

shrimpers catch them in their nets, but there a smaller version of what i guess is commercially worth anything... have gotten some off the boats, but by the time you shuck em the meat is only the size of a nickle or dime, but its still scallop meat.


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

Some years they are really abundant here in the ULM and you can pick up a bucketfull in no time. They are bay scallops and as previously said, quite small. Easiest way to get them open is to steam them for a few minutes and the shells open right up. They taste great. We like them in a cream sauce over linguine. I haven't seen many this year, but they seem to be more abundant during the heat of the summer.


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## Fishing Aggie (Aug 22, 2007)

There used to be some in Pringle Lake.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

They get biggest in August before the season closes, and supposedly live only two years, in Florida. The daily boat limit is 5 gallons of uncleaned shell. You need about 80, just for a small batch of linguini for four people. That's a lot of shucking. A dull butter knife scraping works good, while the animal is still alive. You don't want to slice off any meat.


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## JimD (May 25, 2004)

I always fig that bay scallops looked a lot like cleaned rays that someone had put a cookie cutter to the wings causing small roundish pieces of scalloped meat.


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## Bonito (Nov 17, 2008)

We use to harvest Scallops in front of my house in Santa Rosa Sound. ( Pensacola ) We snorkled and used small hand nets to gather them. It's really funny to watch them swim off by clapping their shells together. Mom and Dad loved them. To me they taste just OK.


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## glennkoks (Jun 24, 2009)

I have not seen them on the upper coast but at certain times they can get plentiful on the lower coast. Of coarse being a shellfish to be legal your going to have to harvest them from waters approved by the state department of health. You can get the shellfish harvesting maps online and updates by calling 1-800-685-0361.


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## glennkoks (Jun 24, 2009)

I think the limit is 25 pounds here in Texas of any clam, muscle or shellfish.


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## Pocketfisherman (May 30, 2005)

In the Laguna madre S of Corpus, we picked them up from knee deep grass flats 3 years back. They're just a bit smaller than the one the kid is holding in the picture. Very tastey.


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## TBird1610 (Jan 28, 2011)

Grew up on the Coast and always heard growing up that any Scallops served locally in Texas were in fact Stingray.


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## McDaniel8402 (Dec 7, 2011)

I grew up getting scallops from the North Florida Gulf coast, and i loved it. Some of my best memories of being together with my dad and sisters out on the boat was gathering scallops around Steinhatchee, Fl. I've seen the empty shells stacked up thick on some muddy stretches of beach on the bay in the LLM, but i've only seen 1/2 dozen or so live scallops on the grass flats. By the time i owned a boat in Texas, i had done moved away from the LLM. I'd love to gather up a bucket again. They are outstanding eating. We always shucked them with a good, heavy gage dinner spoon. Work the spoon in, slice the muscle loose from one half the shell, then scrape the guts/goo loose from the muscle, and slice the muscle loose from the other half the shell. It'l wear your hands out. Cut yer fingers to ribbons, but its worth it for a good plate of scallops, pan simmered in butter and garlic. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.


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