Queen, Queen Scallop, Quin

Chlamys opercularis (Linnaeus)

Appears in

North Atlantic Seafood

By Alan Davidson

Published 1980

About

Family Pectinidae

Portuguese: Vieira
Spanish: Volandeira
French: Vanneau
Dutch: Kammossel
German: Kammuschel
Swedish: Kammussla
Norwegian: Harpeskjell
Danish: Kammusling
Other: Cloisin (Irish)

REMARKS Maximum diameter 10 cm, average size 6 cm. The shell is almost circular and has about twenty ribs. Its colour may be yellow, orange, pink, red, purple or brown; and it is often spotted or blotched.

The queen usually inhabits deeper waters than the great scallop, and the fishery for it in Britain is a recent development. For cuisine see below.