Why is scallop coral nearly unheard of in the U.S.?

Question

I'm a seafood aficionado and can't say I've ever even seen it before, though I know from reading it's common elsewhere.

Answer 1

I haven't heard of it

Answer 2

In the Philippines, the scallop is available in many forms, with the pure all-white muscle as the least common.

When the scallop shell is opened, the contents are composed of: muscle, orange coral and other flesh.

The white muscle is the only part that's served in restaurants and hotels. And in American and European frozen seafoos sections, one only sees the round white muscle in packages. Why?

The white muscle is practically odorless and keeps well. It freezes and thaws well, and does not spoil fast.

The orange coral and the other scallop flesh deteriorate fast, and if frozen, they do not thaw well. These parts also have the fishy smell and are slimy.

Answer 3

Back in 1957 the FDA sanction any product coming from a Live Coral reef, like scallops, and such.

In order to protect the only three largest coral reef in the world

Key West, Great Reef, Australia and Caribbean

Some countries like China and Japan...those are easily available

Answer 4

I am a former chef from Canada and I worked with European chefs here and they were always hurt to think we in N. America throw it way, I worked in a small town in Nova Scotia Canada, famous for there scallops, they are known around the world for them, each year they have a festival were they compete to see who can shuck them like oysters the fastest.

They were there one time, the Euro chefs and we almost sick to see them dumping the coral over the wharf to the gulls, it is mainly because the scallops are shucked and processed from the sea directly on the boats, and it has always in some cultures been thought the coral is poison, plus in N. America with them being 80% frozen the fresh ones spoil very quickly if the coral is left, one's kept in there shells and allowed to remain live are better that way and you have the coral attached, even the small bay, pink and singing ones from the pacific often in the shell will have the coral left on, it is the fisherman and processors that have made this decision.