raw scallop reaction

[yon yonson]

hey guys, i just ate a half pound of scallops (raw of cousre) for the first time and am experiencing some strange reactions. only 5 minutes after i finished them, i started feeling really out of it mentally. kind of disoriented, but not necessarily feeling bad, just feeling weird. actually, it's not unlike being high if anyone else has experienced that before. anyways, was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. is this potentially a problem? could this be the beginning of a more intense reaction?

[boxcarguy07]

hmm... scallops you say??   

Eh, sorry I can't add anything useful to this... I don't know.

I've actually felt the same sometimes from eating raw eggs and raw mahi mahi. Don't know why or if it's bad.

[goodsamaritan]

I once ate dirty oysters... made me puke and poop.

[Michael]

Hey yon, That's interesting as I too experienced a seemingly negative reaction to raw scallops when I first tried them a couple of months ago.  I have deliberately avoided them since!  It's a shame as I found them to be quite tasty and enjoyed the 'meaty' texture.  I'm not a big fish/seafood fan but do try to eat some for the EFA and trace mineral benefits.  Unfortunately, I also recall the scallops caused stomach upset for a few days too.

My own thoughts as to why this happened was that it was due to either parasites (and therefore a cleansing reaction or 'poisoning' depending upon which school of thought you believe) or toxic environmental pollutants.  Either way, I decided it was not a beneficial food for me.

Michael

[TylerDurden]

I've had raw scallops many times, and have always liked them, though they're bloody expensive weight for weight. I didn't like the texture/taste of raw scallops, initially, but got used to them very quickly.

When eating aged, raw foods, people often get a "high"  as the soil bacteria give them a boost:-



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1547346/Getting-dirty-could-prevent-depression.html

All that said, I've also had  unusual energy-boosts from certain raw shellfish such as raw oysters and raw eggs(don't recommend raw eggs except in small amounts, though).

[yon yonson]

so i've been researching this topic... it seems as though i had an allergic reaction to the scallops. the dizziness, disorientation, and just overall lack of mental clarity are symptoms of an allergic reaction to shellfish. that's weird. i've eaten cooked scallops before with no problem, but i think it was just the shear amount (half pound) that i ate that caused the problem. i guess i just have a very slight allergy to it. not gonna stop me from eating them though because they were probably the best RAF i've eaten! i'll just limit my intake to around .25 pounds.

ps: for those wondering, the effects wore off in about an hour and a half. i feel great today!

[van]

I have heard that raw scallops out of the shell are kept firm with some chemical which I can't remember,  same with Uni

[Kristelle]

I have those same reactions when I eat too much fat. But scallops are almost 100% protein so I guess it must have been an allergic reaction. Glad it's over with, I know the feeling.

[RawZi]

I have heard that raw scallops out of the shell are kept firm with some chemical which I can't remember,  same with Uni

i had a feeling they might not be natural.  anyone have any idea what chemical?

[letsdoiteczema]

Threads here have mentioned that "wet" scallops are treated with a chemical preservative. Googling confirms this. It's widely known.

My question is: are some dry scallops also treated? And are all scallops wild?

I've recently found a lot of dried Chinese scallops in my fridge. Wondering whether I should try them or not?

I remember eating cooked Chinese scallops once (cooked dry Chinese scallops) and my tongue started itching pretty bad. That's when I knew I was allergic and didn't eat anymore cooked scallops since. But raw dry scallops may be different?

[letsdoiteczema]

Argh.

"Conpoy is produced by cooking raw scallops and then drying them." from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conpoy

Conpoy is the Chinese equivalent of dry scallops.

No wonder these Chinese dried scallops are so brown in color! They've been cooked! before drying...

WHY can't the Chinese just DRY them, instead of COOKING?! does not make sense at all. Certainly raw dehydrating will still preserve it perfectly well.

[RawZi]

My question is: are some dry scallops also treated? And are all scallops wild?

    They are bivalve type shellfish.   I think when it comes to the bivalve type fish, that is the one animal that is just as good or even better health-wise farmed.

    The chemical treated with presently I think is sodium bisulfate. 

    The deeper sea scallops, deep dive, are supposed to be very good, but also more expensive.

    As far as scallops, I feel better eating them fermented or made into a "high meat" than fresh.

   

[cherimoya_kid]

My question is: are some dry scallops also treated? And are all scallops wild?

When we say "dry" scallops, we don't mean "dried".  We just mean "not sitting in a watery liquid".  If you pay close attention at the fish counter in the store, you can see a small amount (or sometimes a large amount) of watery white liquid pooled at the low end of the scallop tray, if they are "wet" scallops. "Dry" scallops do not have ANY of this white watery liquid (which is sodium metabisulfite mixed with water) in the bottom of the tray.

You can also just ask the employee at the fish counter "are these wet scallops or dry?" and they will know and tell you.  Most grocery store employees don't know enough to lie about it, not yet, anyway.

[letsdoiteczema]

@RawZi & cherimoya_kid

Thank you both for your answers.

@RawZi

Is this somehow related to oysters? I seem to remember oysters are also okay farmed, although there have been nutritional comparisons with farmed vs. wild and the wild species have slightly more nutrition in them.

I've only eaten 1 raw oyster since going RPD in Dec 2011. Tasted heavenly but was so expensive! (HKD$45 = around USD$6)

I've found some online oyster retailers that do home delivery, cheapest oysters are $32 HKD each (around USD$ 4)

$7.8 HKD = $1 USD

[Dorothy]

Costco has wild frozen raw scallops for a fraction of what I pay for the fresh ones - but I'm afraid to try them raw. I love eating the fresh scallops but at $4 a piece - I'm not eating many!

I've been taking the Costco frozen wild scallops and slow cooking them in water with different fish for Brian for the minerals - but I've been thinking of trying one of those scallops raw ... but eating any meat from the likes of Costco makes me so darn nervous.

Has anyone tried it? What's your opinions on trying them? They say they freeze them right away, but should I believe that?

Btw - my fish monger taught me that the darker colored scallops are females and they are sooooo much tastier! The darker the color, the more delicious they are. None of the scallops from Costco are ever females though.

[Chris]

Costco has wild frozen raw scallops for a fraction of what I pay for the fresh ones - but I'm afraid to try them raw. I love eating the fresh scallops but at $4 a piece - I'm not eating many!

I've been taking the Costco frozen wild scallops and slow cooking them in water with different fish for Brian for the minerals - but I've been thinking of trying one of those scallops raw ... but eating any meat from the likes of Costco makes me so darn nervous.

Has anyone tried it? What's your opinions on trying them? They say they freeze them right away, but should I believe that?

Btw - my fish monger taught me that the darker colored scallops are females and they are sooooo much tastier! The darker the color, the more delicious they are. None of the scallops from Costco are ever females though.

I read that they use some type of chemical on scallops when processing to preserve them. Check the label, or with the company first before you consume them. If your going to eat them, made sure their ultra fresh!

[eveheart]

Frozen scallops would not be "wet packed" (mixed with preservative), for the freezing is what preserves them.

I eat scallops from frozen packages all the time, either thawed/raw or thawed in ceviche. Fresh-never-frozen scallops (muscle only) that I can get hereabouts come from the East Coast and cost too much. I have not found anyone who carries scallops in the shell because live scallops do not survive commercial shipping and handling to the West Coast.

[Dorothy]

Thanks Eve. Even though it's Costco I'll give them a try then.

From the back of the package:
Harvested from the pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean, our Kirkland Signature scallops are of the highest quality - each lot is USDC inspected and approved, per the 'USDC Grade A" Standard. These all-natural, wild sea scallops are hand-shucked immediately after capture and individually quick frozen to lock in their natural freshness.

I don't necessarily trust all that mumbo jumbo about the standards and inspections and with the wording it's clear that they are immediately hand-shucked but not clear if they are immediately quick frozen. Maybe I should write to them? The only ingredient is sea scallops.

[eveheart]

but not clear if they are immediately quick frozen. Maybe I should write to them?

The seafood industry processes its catch on one assembly line from sea to freezer. IQF (individually quick frozen) technology can be seen because the frozen items are separate in the package, not all frozen together in one solid lump. I buy my packages of scallops from Trader Joes, where I get a choice of east coast or Japanese scallops.