Capasanta, Conchiglia di S. Giacomo, Pettine

One of the best varieties, the canestrello or queen scallop, is particularly common in the Venice region, where it lives on the sandy sea beds and is harvested by divers all year round. It is no surprise then, that it is from Venice that some of the best recipes have evolved, including risotto ai canestrelli, an Italian version of Spanish paella, although the finest scallops are rightly reserved for a simple but exquisite seafood salad. The fine flavour of the scallop suits the simplest of treatments, say with a little white wine, garlic and parsley.