I love the black pepper sea scallops at Ben Pao in Chicago.

Have you ever tried a version of chowder that includes scallops? Just wondering if there are any local recipes that may be worthwhile.

Ah, seafood in all its variety. :p

Here are two places I've had excellent scallops -

San Jose, CA - A.P. Stump's
Solvang, CA - Ballard Inn

One of the best, if not the best, scallop dishes I had was at Cyrus in Healdsburg, CA.

It was a chorizo crusted scallop with mirepoix and manilla clams. Amazingly, the chorizo did not overpower the scallop. Finishing it off, it was paired with a sherry that went remarkably well with the dish.

I had excellent scallops at Riva Cucina in Berkeley, CA. It's a small, cozy Italian restaurant that makes their own fresh pasta. The scallops have been perfectly cooked every time and always prepared differently. I've ordered this appetizer 3 times and it's been delicious and innovative each time.

Nantucket Bay scallop chowder
categories: shellfish, soup, New England
servings: 4

2 c milk
1 c heavy cream
1 vegetable bouillon cube *
2 Tb tomato puree
12 oz Nantucket Bay scallops
s, p
thyme
* may substitute some other stock concentrate

Bring milk, crea, and bouillon to a boil. Whisk in tomato.
Add scallops and turn heat to medium. Season. Cook
about 4 minutes and serve.

Source: moi

Digby, NS has some of the best scallops in the world. I travel there on average about once a year and can report that I have never found scallops as sweet and tender as the ones that I have had in Digby. Even the local Subway offers a scallop hoagie which is delicious! :)

The Bay of Fundy produces both great scallops and great lobster. There really aren't any "fine dining" spots in Digby; they are all kind of old school bar and grill type joints. My favorite is called 'The Fundy", dining by day, rowdy-ish bar crowd by night. The Fundy even has a portion of the building which is a Bed and Breakfast where a few of my colleagues love to stay. It gets bitterly cold in Digby during the winter so they report having a one stop shop to eat, drink and sleep is quite the perk!

I personally like the Harmony Bed & Breakfast a few blocks up the main drag for accomodation...


J_Hawk

Scottish scallops. Absolutely the best in the world. ^

I've always wanted to try raw scallops gathered on the spot.
Apart from that I'm stuck ordering chopped scallop rolls or searing them at home with lotsa buttah.

on the south shore of the cape(cod) one can fight the gulls and catch dropped fresh bay scallops. they are quite small. however "Absolutely the best in the world. "

It seems that all these pots have the "best scallops in the world". However, they're all wrong. The best scallops in the world are to be had at Olympe in Rio de Janeiro where Claude Troisgros magically transforms them to heaven on earth. I've tried a few of the others mentioned and must admit scallops fresh and lightly braised are wonderful anywhere.

I'm a huge scallops fan myself (or "scall-ups" as Gordon Ramsey says) and often get them at seafood places. I was at a restaurant in Danvers, MA last week and had sirloin steak and fried scallops and it was absolutely excellent.

Mastro's Ocean Club also does them quite well.

I think everyone eventually discovers a local place that makes _____ better than anyone else.

I'll update my previous post, since AP Stump's no longer offers that dish (it's a steakhouse now) and I've had one that topped them all -

Michael Mina at the Westin St Francis in San Francisco.

They offered a scallops 3 ways dish in which each of the 3 ways was truly spectacular and each was really quite different from the other 2.

You're obviously correct, but in such a thread I had to have a jingoistic selection. I also think Le Bernardin Ultra Rare Scorched Scallop may compete with Troisgros, and there are several others. The problem is my last wonderful scallop is the best one.

The stir-fried scallops in my house are also a match for any anywhere. Perhaps I have a small bias.