With their natural sweetness, rich savory umami flavor, plus a wonderful plump texture, scallops can be enjoyed raw, sautéed, boiled, and much more!
Let's explore the power of scallops as a health-booster.
Proteins in the right amount are essential to creating the healthy body that everyone wants. At the same time, we need to avoid taking in excess calories and fat. There are a number of different kinds of fat, but the substances we want to avoid most are the saturated fatty acids. Accordingly, we researched foods high in protein and low in saturated fatty acids.
Looking at proteins contained in major categories of seafood and meats, scallops rank near the top on the high-protein/low-fat score, which is calculated by dividing the amount of protein by the amount of saturated fatty acids. Scallops even far surpassed chicken breast strips, a food most of us think of as high in protein and low in fat.
Based on our analysis using the high-protein/low-fat score—our own index—which is calculated by dividing the amount of protein(g) by the amount of saturated fatty acid(g)
Data: Calculated from the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan 2020, Eighth revision
(Amino Acid Constituent Chart and Fatty Acid Constituent Chart)
The amino acid index indicates whether or not a food contains the proper balance of essential amino acids, from amongst the amino acids comprising proteins. Foods scoring 100 on the amino acid index include meats such as beef, pork, chicken, eggs and milk, and fish such as horse mackerel and salmon. But did you know that scallops also score 100? In addition to being a quality protein, scallops have the additional advantage of being low in fat. All in all, they are considered a super healthy protein food choice.
Abundant amino acids are one of the constituents that make a food taste great, and scallops contain approximately twice the amount of amino acids as asari clams, oysters, and shijimi clams. In addition to significant amounts of glutamic acid and aspartic acid, which are the source of their savory umami flavor, scallops are particularly rich in glycine, which gives them their unique brand of sweetness. Standing out amongst the various kinds of shellfish, scallops also contain significant levels of arginine—considered an especially powerful amino acid that helps build muscle and speed up recovery from fatigue.
Data: Calculated from the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan 2020, Eighth revision
(Amino Acid Constituent Chart)