What to Do with the Tendon?
To answer this question, first we need to understand the function of the two shucked muscles that come home with us from the fish market.
Not All Muscles are the Same
We see this in farm animals where much-used muscles produce tough meat (think shoulder meat) and little-used muscles produce tender meat (think tenderloin). It so happens it’s the same with scallops.
The Adductor Muscle - aka the Scallop
Like clams, mussels, and cockles, scallops are part of the bivalve family, however, it’s their differences that matter in the kitchen. Scallops are the only bivalves that swim and defend themselves from predators. They swim by clapping their shells together and forcing water out the hinge end, using the adductor muscle (the part of the scallop we eat). It contracts quickly to open and close the shells for swimming. It is because of the swimming motion that the majority of what’s inside a scallops is a tender, sweet muscle.
The Abductor Muscle - aka the Tendon
Attached to that is the smaller abductor muscle that closes slowly to hold the shells shut for long periods of time as defence against predators. This is also referred to as the “catch” muscle, or for culinary purposes, the “tendon.” It is because of their different functions that these two completely edible muscles have such different textures. The catch muscle or tendon is quite tough and we recommend removing it. It’s easy to see the tendon attached to the side of the scallop. To separate it, simply peel it away from the large muscle.
