NHK

Scallop muscles being dried in Hokkaido town along Sea of Okhotsk

Workers in a town in Japan's northernmost prefecture Hokkaido are busy drying scallop muscles, which are prized as a high-end delicacy.

Scallop fishing is in full swing in the Sea of Okhotsk, one of Japan's major harvesting grounds for the mollusks.

At a processing plant in the town of Okoppe, workers lay boiled scallop muscles in wooden boxes before putting them out to dry. They turn the muscles over every few hours.

The slow natural-drying, which takes about a month, is said to enhance the flavor of the muscles.

The town hopes to produce about 90 tons of dried scallop muscles -- the normal amount -- at its two processing plants this year.

The head of a processing company said they'll have a quality product this year because the scallops are big. He said the muscles can be used as an ingredient in cooking, but are best eaten as is.

The muscle-drying will continue through early November.

The dried scallops will be shipped to the Tokyo area and exported to China and elsewhere.

Source : https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230727_11/

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230727_11/