A large percentage of the scallops available to consumers in this country have been soaked in a solution containing sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), which causes the scallops to absorb and retain moisture, before being frozen for sale. For this reason, scallops containing STPP are known in the industry as “wet” while those without additives (and the extra water weight) are marketed as “dry.” To find out exactly what STPP does to scallops, we decided to purchase dry scallops and treat them with STPP ourselves. Following commercial protocols for STPP treatment, we'd be able to track how much moisture they absorbed and how their texture and flavor changed. And by comparing them to both frozen and fresh scallops, we hoped to figure out which type is best.
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