The elegant great scallop was well-known in Galicia in the Middle Ages and became the emblem of pilgrims returning from Santiago de Compostela. To attest to their journey, they were in the habit of bringing back a Pectens maximus shell, which they attached to their hat or coat – thus the French name of Saint-Jacques (Santiago) given to this mollusk. Zoology, however, gave it the less poetic name of Jacob’s comb. It quickly became one of the most recognizable attributes of the pilgrim, along with the staff, beggar’s pouch and wide-brimmed hat.

The “nugget,” or what is often referred to simply as the “scallop,” is actually the animal’s adductor muscle. It is made up of tender ivory-colored strands with a sweet mild flavor. The “scallop rings” are the brownish bumps surrounding the meat. The orangey-pink (female) or cream-colored (male) coral is a prized delicacy.