Chef Interviews
“Yasashii Food! Hokkaido Scallop Fair,” held to promote domestic consumption of Hokkaido scallops and communicate their sustainable value, combined strong visual messaging through flags and brochures with direct dialogue with customers. The event created meaningful opportunities to highlight scallops as an environmentally responsible seafood choice.
Based on insights from the chefs who participated in the fair, we will continue exploring new possibilities for scallops and their future potential.
LATURE – Takuto Murota
Exploring New Flavors with Scallops and Wild Mushrooms
At LATURE, we served “Scallop and Wild Mushroom Fricassée.”
Hokkaido scallops, gently cooked to enhance their natural sweetness, aroma, and texture, were simmered in cream with wild mushrooms and wild boar bacon. The dish was finished with a sweet potato purée and a delicate tuile made from mushroom powder.
By balancing flavors from both the mountains and the sea, this plate beautifully expresses Chef Murota’s distinctive style. It is a signature creation that harmonizes the blessings of land and ocean.
Unlocking the Future Potential of Scallops
As a way to accommodate guests with allergies or food preferences, Chef Murota keeps scallops on hand as a reliable alternative. In his day-to-day restaurant service, he has found scallops to be overwhelmingly popular and widely approachable among diners.
Reflecting on the fair, Chef Murota noted that “most customers were unaware of the sustainable value of scallops.” When he explained their farming methods and low environmental impact, many guests reacted with surprise and curiosity, asking questions such as, “Aren’t scallops always wild?” and “How are scallops farmed?”
“Scallops are a familiar ingredient that people often see in supermarkets, but there are few opportunities to learn about how they are produced. Once people understand the story behind them, I believe their appreciation—and the perceived value of scallops—can change significantly.”
The Future of Growing Domestic Demand
The scallop pie served at MONICA this time has been a consistently popular item at department store food fairs, where it regularly sells out.
Because scallops are already recognized as a premium ingredient, we see strong potential in expanding consumption through special-occasion channels such as department store events and Japan’s furusato nozei (hometown tax) programs, leveraging moments that feel celebratory or indulgent.
“Scallops offer a stable supply and can be used year-round. They are an incredibly versatile ingredient that works across Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisines, making them a rare medium through which chefs can express their originality. By communicating their value as a leading example of sustainable seafood—alongside their ease of use—we believe more chefs will choose to cook with Hokkaido scallops.”
DON BRAVO – Masakazu Taira
Pizza Highlighting the Umami of Hokkaido Scallops
For this “Scallop Pizza,” we designed the dish to showcase the full umami and natural sweetness of Hokkaido scallops.
Because scallops are a delicate ingredient, it can be difficult to fully express their flavor when paired with rich, heavy sauces such as cream. Instead, we chose a simple combination of potatoes, cheese, and prosciutto, using the saltiness of the prosciutto to enhance the scallops’ sweetness.
To further highlight the flavor of Hokkaido scallops, we added a scallop-based mayonnaise, making their distinctive taste even more accessible and enjoyable.
The Appeal of Scallops, Discovered Through Conversations with Customers
“Scallops are an ingredient that everyone recognizes, but few people understand how they are farmed or their sustainable qualities. Many customers were surprised to learn that scallops are actually an environmentally friendly seafood,” says Chef Taira.
He also noted that sharing this information after guests had enjoyed the dish—by saying, “Did you know scallops are sustainable?”—left a stronger and more lasting impression.
The fair’s pick displayed on the pizza, along with a small booklet, also served as effective tools to reinforce the message of scallops’ sustainability.
A Chef’s Role: Pairing Great Taste with Added Value
Through this initiative, the role of chefs in society has become even clearer. Although scallops are often perceived as a slightly expensive ingredient for home cooking, expanding their use in restaurants and major chain establishments is seen as an effective way to increase overall consumption.
“When guests think, ‘The scallops I had at that chef’s restaurant were delicious,’ that positive experience can lead them to choose scallops more often when dining out. As chefs, we believe it is our responsibility to guarantee great taste while also communicating the added value of scallops,” he says.
YOSHOKU OGATA – Hiroyuki Ogata
A Fresh Take on the Appeal of Scallops
Although Chef Ogata typically uses L or 2L-sized scallops, for this scallop fry he chose smaller, bite-sized scallops to showcase the pure, straightforward flavor of Hokkaido scallops.
By coating them in a light, delicate batter that locks in their umami, the dish is designed so that when bitten into, the scallop’s natural juices burst and spread across the palate. Because over-frying can cause the flavor to escape into the batter, the scallops are lifted just before that point, ensuring they reach the perfect level of doneness at the moment they are served—a result of precise and thoughtful technique.
Many guests were captivated by Chef Ogata’s signature scallop fry, which allows diners to savor the full umami of Hokkaido scallops in a single bite. The dish proved so popular that even after the fair ended, the restaurant received numerous requests asking to make the scallop fry a permanent menu item.
Bringing the Potential of Scallops to the Home Kitchen
Chef Ogata describes scallops as “a highly versatile ingredient that requires no trimming, can be frozen, and works across a wide range of dishes.” He believes that if the development of pre-prepared frozen scallops for frying continues, scallop fry could become a more accessible option for home cooking.
“Bite-sized scallop fry is appealing because it’s both easy to cook and easy to eat. We’d like to explore the possibility of commercializing it as a frozen food product,” he added, expressing strong enthusiasm for future product development.
Future Outlook as a Yoshoku (Western-Style) Restaurant
Chef Ogata notes that because scallops are such a familiar, everyday ingredient, many customers may find themselves choosing scallop dishes almost instinctively when they see them on a menu.
“If we continue offering scallop fry as a regular menu item, I’d be happy to see more Western-style restaurants follow suit and add it to their own menus,” he says. He also suggests that replacing shrimp fry with scallop fry in children’s lunch sets could open up new opportunities for food education, helping young diners learn more about seafood and its value—further expanding the potential of scallop fry.