Nearly sent a customer to the ER with a bad scallop tonight

I was on the line at Bistro 42 in Portland around 7 PM when I grabbed what I thought was a fresh dayboat scallop but it was actually a week-old one that someone had buried in the walk-in, and it took me tasting it raw to catch the sulfur smell before it hit the pan, has anyone else almost served spoiled seafood because of lazy labeling?

2 comments

2 Comments

charliehill1mo ago

Oh man, that's a nightmare. I once grabbed a "fresh" fillet of salmon from the back of the cooler and it had that faint ammonia whiff right as I was about to drop it in the fryer. My heart just sank because I'd already prepped the lemon butter sauce. Ended up pitching the whole thing and ordering pizza for the table while I ran to the store. Scallops are even scarier though because that sulfur smell can be so subtle until it's way too late. Have you guys got any horror stories about a mystery ingredient hiding in the back of the walk-in?

the_henry1mo ago

Ngl @charliehill that scallop thing is real. Had a batch of diver scallops that looked perfect, no smell at all, but the second they hit the pan that sulfur stink just filled the kitchen. Had to dump the whole order and make something from the fryer instead. Never trust a scallop that's been sitting too long. Mystery ingredients are the worst when you find a forgotten cambro of stock that's been in the back for a week. That's always a fun surprise.