Where can I buy dry sea scallops downtown, preferably east side?

[visciole]

Anyone know a place? Essex Street market or somewhere in Chinatown maybe? Thanks!

[sgordon]

A number of places in Chinatown. I use them a lot and find the prices & quality at Po Wing Hong and Chung Chou City 1 to be the best. PWH has slightly better prices usually (though they go up and down at both places) but CCC1 has the fancier, more expensive Hokkaido conpoy - though they're well over $100/lb for the large ones. For regular stuff, though - i.e. if I'm making a simple XO with small ones - I go with PWH. They're also much larger, so better one-stop-shopping for other specialty Chinese ingredients.

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EDIT: oops. Just read the follow-up post about "dry" versus "dried" - so, er.... never mind...

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Po Wing Hong
49 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10013

Chung Chou City 1
200 Grand St, New York, NY 10013

[Miss Needle]

I'd probably think the best place for this type of thing would be at Whole Foods on Bowery.

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Whole Foods
95 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002

[visciole]

Really? I've had bad seafood experiences in Whole Foods. But maybe I've just been unlucky.

[Miss Needle]

Oh, I've had bad experiences at the WF seafood counter as well. I don't go there anymore. But the scallops they generally carry are the dry ones. Your location parameter is a bit difficult. If you can find dry scallops in C-town, great. But I've never seen them -- but I haven't been looking for the cloth bag fourunder referenced to.

ETA: I'm assuming you're looking for them for tonight. As fourunder has said they are not always available, I would just make the trip to Citarella on 6th Ave for good scallops -- unless somebody else knows a good fishmonger in the downtown east area that I'm not aware of.

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Citarella
424 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[visciole]

OK, thanks!

[Pedr0]

On the West Side I know but Lobster Place has the best scallops in town. Years ago I asked the guy behind the counter if any of the the scallops were "wet". He rolled his eyes and shot back "Yeah, we don't sell any of that stuff".

Seafood at Hole Foods is pretty dicey. The one on Union Square always smells way too fishy at that corner of the store.

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The Lobster Place
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011

[visciole]

Oops, thanks, but I didn't mean dried, I meant dry as opposed to treated with sodium phosphate or whatever it is. Fresh non-treated sea scallops.

[fourunder]

Then go onto Grand Street....look for scallops in a cloth bag that has been cut open....not in a plastic tub. Not always available, but I've definitely seen them in my past shopping excursions.

[visciole]

Thanks -- where on Grand? Those two fish places opposite one another near Bowery? And where would the cut-open cloth bag be situated? I appreciate the advice!

[fourunder]

In general, the markets key on the items they are most likely to sell on a regular basis, but like all true entrepreneurs, when they get a buy at the market, they will take a chance on anything. The larger markets on the south side of Grand street between Allen and Bowery that have butchers inside are your best bet. I"m sorry, but I cannot help you with the names of either. At least one of the fishmarkets also sells vegetables in front, if I can recall correctly.

The cut cloth bag will be right on top of the crushed ice....just like the shrimp. It's usually tan or yellowish in color with the scallops bursting out.

What to look for ...

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/loung...

[visciole]

Great, thank you, that's very helpful. I know those places you mean -- but I also don't know the names. I usually go to the one near Chrystie on the south side which also sells vegetables and has a butcher shop inside. Hopefully they'll have them! If not there's always fish....

[fourunder]

The cloth bag will look something like this...

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=wholesale+scallops+pictures&hl=en&sa=X&biw=983&bih=567&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=Xi-WIJThGMxFIM:&imgrefurl=http://www.newfultonfishmarket.com/wholesalers/worldwide_direct_seafoods.htm&docid=1fJmRwpOx7l_QM&imgurl=http://www.newfultonfishmarket.com/wholesalers/photos/scallops.JPG&w=480&h=360&ei=0147T-LJG7OJ0QGih6m0Cw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=78&sig=101204746254877558146&page=11&tbnh=166&tbnw=215&start=127&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:127&tx=115&ty=94

Or like this......

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=wholes...

You want your scallops to have color, i.e., tan-ish or pink-ish......not be white.

[visciole]

No dice yesterday on Grand... but I go often and will keep looking for them, so thanks much for the advice.

I never bought scallops in CT before since I always assumed the cheap ones were not dry, but I'd be very happy to be able to find dry ones there on occasion. No place to buy seafood in the east village still...

[Cheeryvisage]

Yes, Chinatown. Try Hong Kong Supermarket, or New York Mart.

In HK Supermarket, they used to be in big jars on a counter near the entrance.

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Hong Kong Supermarket
157 Hester St, New York, NY 10013

New York Mart
128 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

[fourunder]

Kam Man Food Products, Inc. on Canal definitely has them. I surmise some Apothecary stores would also carry dried items as well. I recall a place on Grand, but I believe they were burned out. maybe they have since reopened.

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Kam Man
200 Canal St, New York, NY 10013