The soft fleshy texture and delicate sweet scent of a scallop are pleasant even for those who do not particularly like fish or other mollusks. The season for these fresh seafood runs from October to March. Frozen clams are available year-round.
What it is?
Scallops are mollusks in which there are two beautiful convex ribbed or serrated shells. They consist of two shells pivotally connected at one end; therefore, they are known to marine biologists as bivalve mollusks. The edible part of the scallop is a white muscle that opens and closes two shells, and is called a “nut”. The reproductive glands, known as “corals,” are also edible, although not widely used in modern cooking.
The calorie content of scallop per 100 grams is about 88 kilocalories, which makes this product dietary. At the same time, the product contains a lot of protein and low fat. Due to this characteristic, it is a very useful product.
Benefit for health
Most people know that fish is good for health, but what about other seafood? As it turned out, scallops, in addition to their delicious taste, contain many nutrients that can help strengthen the cardiovascular system, as well as provide protection against colon cancer. Since the calorie content of scallop is low, it can be included regularly in your diet.
These mollusks are an excellent source of a very important nutrient for the body - vitamin B 12 . It is necessary for the conversion of homocysteine (a chemical compound that can directly damage the walls of blood vessels) into other benign chemicals. Because high homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, heart attack, and stroke, it’s recommended that you make sure your diet is high in vitamin B 12 . Generally foods rich in this compound contain a significant amount of fat. In contrast, scallops, the calorie content per 100 grams of which does not exceed 90 calories, can serve as an excellent preventive measure.
Effect on the rhythm of the heart
In addition to the B 12 content, scallops are a good source of magnesium and potassium - two nutrients that provide significant benefits to the cardiovascular system. Magnesium helps blood vessels relax, which helps lower blood pressure while improving blood flow. Potassium helps maintain normal blood pressure.
The use of scallops increases heart rate variability (a measurement of heart muscle function). The seafood and fish omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA reduce the risk of arrhythmias and sudden death. As a rule, such products are rather fatty. But this does not apply to scallop, whose calorie content is low.
Vascular protection
Deep vein thrombosis is a dangerous condition in which blood clots form in the deep veins of the legs, thighs or pelvis, causing swelling and pain. An embolism occurs if part or all of a blood clot in a deep vein breaks away from where it was created and passes through the circulatory system. If such a blood clot enters the lungs, a very serious condition occurs - pulmonary embolism. The use of seafood avoids the development of this danger. Scallop, which is low in calories and fat, saturates the body with useful acids that strengthen blood vessels and improve blood circulation.
Thus, this mollusk is extremely beneficial for health. It is also noted that cases of allergies to it are extremely rare.
How to eat them
The calorie content of scallops is small if you do not fry them in a large amount of oil. The most recommended way to cook them is boiling or steaming. In any case, they should be cooked for only a few minutes, since exposure to too much heat will lead to stiffness of the product.
How to cook scallop
As noted above, the calorie content of boiled scallop is approximately 126 calories. When cooking, the main rule is not to increase the nutritional value too much. Add light ingredients to the clam.
For example, serve cooked scallops with salsa from pieces of papaya, cilantro, jalapeno and ginger.
You can also prepare pickled scallops, add leek, cherry tomatoes and bake everything in the oven. To make the finished dish more juicy and aromatic, add a few drops of olive oil with garlic.
It will also be delicious if you put out scallops with ginger, shiitake mushrooms and green onions. This dish can be served both hot and cold.
Spicy Korean Scallop Appetizer
As noted above, many healthy and not very nutritious dishes can be prepared from this mollusk. In addition to baking and stewing, scallops can be used in pickled form. The most common cooking option is a Korean-style salad. Many people like hot snacks, and the calorie content of Korean scallop is only 96 kcal. Cooking this savory appetizer is easy. For her you will need:
- several clams (6-8 pieces);
- natural soy sauce - 3 teaspoons;
- sugar - 1 teaspoon;
- garlic - 3 prongs;
- water - 1 teaspoon;
- green onion;
- vegetable oil - 2 teaspoons.
First of all, you need to cook the marinade. To do this, sugar must be dissolved in a mixture of soy sauce with water. Then, scallops should be dipped in this mixture and steamed in it until ready. It takes 4-5 minutes.
Separately, fry the chopped garlic in oil so that it is completely saturated with the aroma of the vegetable. Ready and chilled clams need to be poured with garlic oil and sprinkled with green onions. If you like more spiciness, you can add hot pepper to the marinade.