Cooking Fresh Scallops and Shrimp for Dinner
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118795)
Gainesville, Florida
August 3, 2019 5:29pm CST
I wrote a couple of days ago about getting some "salt therapy" by going out on the boat in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida with one of my buddies, who is on vacation for 9 days. Well, early this morning, I met up with him again to go out on the boat once more, only this time instead of fishing, it was to go scalloping.
Sometimes you have to search for a while before you find a great spot with lots of scallops, but we got really lucky and hit the jackpot at the first location we stopped at. Within an hour we had caught our daily quota of scallops. The bonus was that we also caught a lot of jumbo shrimp!
So this afternoon we cooked us up some fresh scallops and shrimp, and coupled with some ice cold beer and leftover grouper from the other day, we had ourselves a marvelous meal! I particularly liked the scallops we wrapped in bacon.
Do any of you enjoy scallops, shrimp or other seafood?
Photo is of the scallops we cooked up.
62 people like this
56 responses
@florelway (23159)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
4 Aug 19
Yeah I enjoy having these foods, only that scallops are not readily available in our market but shrimps are plenty..
6 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
I would have thought scallops would be in abundance in the Philippines. We have plenty of shrimp as well.
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
@florelway You should gather them and sell them! You could make lots of money!
3 people like this
@florelway (23159)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
4 Aug 19
@moffittjc Yes they are abundant but not in our area because only a few gather them. 
4 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (96390)
• Marion, Ohio
4 Aug 19
I dont eat any kind of seafood. It seems to upset my stomach just enough to be uncomfortable.
4 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (96390)
• Marion, Ohio
4 Aug 19
@moffittjc I just dont eat any of it. I know pretty fast if it is in something. But it has never caused a serious problem.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
@wolfgirl569 You are lucky it only causes minor discomfort. For some people it can be deadly.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
Sounds like you may have a seafood allergy. My ex-wife's mother (I still call her mom even after all these years) has a seafood allergy, and she gets hives all over her face and neck if she eats any type of seafood.
3 people like this
@AmbiePam (85976)
• United States
4 Aug 19
@moffittjc We have a plethora of catfish. One of the ugliest things to swim in a lake. But they're tasty.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
@AmbiePam Oh yes, I love catfish! We have lots of them here too! Catfish seems to be the main staple of fish fries everywhere!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
I love them too, and I would not be a happy camper at all if I lived somewhere where I couldn't get fresh scallops. It's a lot of work collecting them, but it is so worth it to have fresh from the ocean seafood!
3 people like this
@infatuatedbby (94921)
• United States
4 Aug 19
Sounds like a fun! I sure would love scallops wrapped in bacon, yum! Can’t go wrong with fresh seafood. 
2 people like this
@infatuatedbby (94921)
• United States
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc That is my favorite way to prepare scallops also! Anything bacon is a winner!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Aug 19
@infatuatedbby I agree! Bacon, bacon, bacon!
Today at work, one of my co-workers asked me if I wanted to purchase a meal that she is cooking this weekend as a fundraiser for her son's school. I said it depends on what she's cooking, and how much it costs. She said they were preparing several different types of meals, but she started off with "I will be making bacon-wrapped blah blah blah blah blah...." Basically, I didn't hear a word she said after she said bacon-wrapped. I just opened my wallet, pulled out a $20 bill, handed it to her, and said I'll take as much bacon-wrapped whatever that I can get for $20. She laughed and asked me if I had heard everything she had said. I told her that I didn't hear anything after she said "bacon-wrapped." I still don't know what I bought, and how much of it, but it's going to be bacon-wrapped, and that's all that matters to me! LOL
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
Yes, scallops wrapped in bacon is my favorite way to eat scallops. Bacon just seems to make everything better!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
That's my favorite way to eat scallops, wrapped in bacon! In all honesty, I'll eat anything if it's wrapped in bacon! Question for you though....Isn't eating bacon (pork) taboo for the Jewish people?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Aug 19
@DianneN Is the thinking among reformed and conservative Jews that the laws pertaining to pork were made in the name of safety back in those days, and not in the name of religion? I know that Trichinosis was a big deal back then from eating undercooked pork.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247216)
• United States
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc It is, if you are Orthodox. Times have changed for reformed and conservative Jews. I’m conservative, and my great grandfather was a rabbi. My parents ate bacon occasionally, but never allowed pork or ham into the house.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
Nice! I had lots of shrimp yesterday too. Big giant jumbo shrimp. They were huge! I guess that's the benefit of harvesting your own seafood! lol. After we had finished cooking the scallops, we then cooked all the shrimp. It was quite a feast yesterday.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
@just4him I definitely gained a little weight yesterday, and had to let my belt out a notch! lol But I'll burn it all off today at paintball practice.
1 person likes this
@just4him (308536)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
4 Aug 19
@moffittjc It sounds like a wonderful feast. 
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40635)
• United States
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc A few times, but not my favorite.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Aug 19
@1creekgirl That's okay, the leaves more for me! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
Yes, it was a very amazing feast! Have you ever had scallops before?
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40789)
• United States
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc Dare I ask what bang-bang shrimp is?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
@akalinus It's fried shrimp, cooked in sweet and spicy sauces, like sweet chili sauce and sriracha. It's a nice balance of sweet with a little bit of kick.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
I feel like a new man after all that salt therapy! The ocean always seems to cure whatever is bothering me at the time.
Iile fried shrimp as well. Grilled shrimp is also good. I also loved bang-bang shrimp.
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
All you need is a mask, snorkel, and fins, and a little mesh bag to hold the scallops you catch. Then you just swim around in the shallow water looking for them in the grassy bottom of the water. Then you just swim down, pick it up with your hands, and put it in your mesh bag. Very easy to do.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Aug 19
@sol_cee No, I am single right now. My girlfriend that I had been dating for the past 7 years got a new job on the other side of the country, so she moved away a month ago. This was just one of the girls that we took out on the boat with us. Pretty lady, but she's not my gf.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Aug 19
@HazySue It’s the right thing to do to ensure sustainability.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
We could have collected so many more scallops, but there is a daily limit per person and a daily limit per boat of how many scallops you can collect. It's to ensure that they are not over harvested.
1 person likes this
@HazySue (39264)
• Gouverneur, New York
6 Aug 19
@moffittjc They do need to limit it. Too bad.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
Do shellfish, mollusks and bottom feeders really count for people who are vegetarians? Call me crazy, but scallops sure look like vegetables to me! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Aug 19
@RubyHawk What BLT Ruby? I know nothing about you eating any BLTs. I don't know what you're talking about! haha
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99421)
• Atlanta, Georgia
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc No, they aren't vegetables. but go ahead and enjoy your sea food while you c an. To tell the truth I do have a BLT once in awhile but don't tell anybody.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (158447)
• United States
4 Aug 19
I like scallops, crab, lobster and clam strips. I can't handle the texture of shrimp.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
A lot of people don't like scallops because of the texture.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
@LindaOHio yes, it’s absolutely delicious here, since it is fresh right from the ocean to the table. That’s just like what I think of apples for you guys up north. You get the biggest, juiciest, freshest apple as up there, and down here in Florida we get the leftovers! Haha
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (158447)
• United States
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc I'll bet seafood is much yummier in Florida. The few times we've been down there it's been good.
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82313)
• Rupert, Idaho
3 Aug 19
Sounds like a fun time, glad you had a good time! I have never tried scallops, or shrimp....but I am a picky eater and don't think I would like them. I stick to tuna, trout, and salmon.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 19
Yeah, you probably won't like them if you're a picky eater. But tuna, trout and salmon are nice too!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
@MommyOfEli2013 Whoa! You don’t like fruits OR vegetables?
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82313)
• Rupert, Idaho
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc I am very picky haha, don't like fruits or vegetables, for the most part. But yes, those three are awesome!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
A lot of people don't like them because of the chewy texture, but if they are fresh and cooked perfectly, they practically melt in your mouth! If someone told me that scallops were the only type of seafood I could eat for the rest of my life, I would be the happiest guy on earth!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
@Nevena83 Me too! I love chocolate so much. I will eat anything that has chocolate on it.
1 person likes this
@rsa101 (37969)
• Philippines
5 Aug 19
@moffittjc Wow looks like you had a bountiful harvest. Good thing about that is they were fresh and its good to eat. I would say you had a feast in there.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Aug 19
@rsa101 We definitely had a feast, and it was definitely delicious since it was so fresh!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
Yes, it was an amazing meal! We had scallops, shrimp, grouper and snapper.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36580)
• Toccoa, Georgia
4 Aug 19
I love both scallops and shrimp. If I had to pick which one I like best, I would say scallops.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 19
Good choice! I would have to agree with you wholeheartedly.
1 person likes this
@janethwayne (5193)
• Philippines
4 Aug 19
I will get a plate for me to have a big scoop of this tempting newly cooked scallops okay?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
I hope you like them! Have you ever tried scallops before?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
@janethwayne Nice! We have lots of seafood restaurants here in Florida that sell fresh seafood.
2 people like this
@janethwayne (5193)
• Philippines
4 Aug 19
@moffittjc Yes all the time.We have a restaurant that sells seafood like that and it is very delicious.
1 person likes this
@Scrapper88 (5957)
• United States
3 Aug 19
I like seafood, but I have never had scallops before. I hope I can try scallops some day.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 19
I think that scallops are amazing, but a lot of people don't like them due to the texture.
@Scrapper88 (5957)
• United States
3 Aug 19
@moffittjc I would like to try them once to see what they are like.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 19
@Scrapper88 Next time you are in a seafood restaurant, ask if they have them. I love them with bacon wrapped around them. Or even plain by themselves, dipped in melted butter. Oh so delicious!
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
When scallops are in season (like they are now), they are much more abundant and much easier to find. But outside of scallop season, during the rest of the year, they are much harder to find in restaurants and stores.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Aug 19
@Janet357 Oh yes, I know what abalone is. I've never eaten them before, but I've heard of them. They are referred to as "sea snails" here in the US. They are very rare and very expensive, and it is now illegal to harvest them in most places around the world, due to their declining numbers.
@Janet357 (75656)
•
4 Aug 19
@moffittjc they are very expensive in the city for sure. i would also.like to try abalone. do you know this?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118795)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Aug 19
I haven't been crabbing before, but one of the "seasons" I look forward to most each year is lobster season!
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203449)
• Nashville, Tennessee
3 Aug 19
@moffittjc I miss all of the fresh seafood. Fried oysters especially.
2 people like this
