Scalloping Adventures on Nantucket: A Guide to the Perfect Day
11/01/2024
One of the island’s most delightful seasonal activities is scalloping, a time-honored tradition that allows visitors and locals alike to enjoy the quiet time on Nantucket.
What is Scalloping?
Scalloping involves harvesting bay scallops, a sweet and tender shellfish that thrives in the shallow waters of Nantucket. They are not only a delicious addition to your dinner table but also a fun and rewarding way to connect with nature and experience the island’s unique ecosystem.
The Best Time to Go
Scalloping season on Nantucket typically runs from late October to mid-November. During this period, the waters are warm enough for scallops to thrive. Here are a few of our favorite spots located around the island. Keep in mind scallops are typically harvested harborside:
Monomoy Harbor: Calm, quiet, and a great spot for families
Polpis Harbor
Madaket Harbor: Approximately a 20-minute drive from Town. Tip: The Wave bus is free to ride all year long!
1st and 2nd Point (Coatue): These locations can only be accessed by boat unless you have a car beach permit and want to brave the hour-long drive out there
Didn’t catch anything? Let these local restaurants do the cooking:
Sea Grille: Order the bacon-wrapped scallops and thank us later!
Fusaros: If you’re looking for something different, try their scallop chowder
Straight Wharf: Enjoy their day boat scallops served with fresh vegetables from local farms
Straight Wharf Fish: Perfect for lunch on a cool fall day - check out their scallop roll!
Want to prepare them yourself? Pick up your scallops here:
Meat and Fish Market: Expert butchers in a convenient mid-island location (with an amazing wine selection to match whatever you’re cooking!)
Glidden’s Market: Whether you want to grab & go, raw scallops, prepared scallop rolls, and more, this is your one-stop shop
What our community does with scallops:
Raw Bars, Cuisines, and Events
Shells Angels Raw Bar: From cocktail parties to barbecues to weddings and more, a fresh, local raw bar is the perfect complement to any Nantucket event.
A pastime for island businesses
Marc Genthner of Just Do It Too: Father of GPP intern and Nantucket High School senior Claire Genthner, Marc harvests scallops in the off-season when he’s not running fishing charters.
Research and Student Learning
Maria Mitchell & Nantucket Shellfish Association: Since 2003, MMA and NSA have collaborated on a long-term study of the Nantucket Bay Scallop to understand scallop longevity, reproduction survival, and habitat preferences of the bay scallop. Learn more here
We recently caught up with NSA as they took the Nantucket New School’s 6th and 7th graders out to Monomoy to learn how to scallop! Watch here.
Happy harvesting, Nantucket!