How the yanks made a hash of our humble potato scallop • All Aboard Seafoods (2024)

In some states it’s known as a ‘potato scallop’, in others it’s a ‘potato cake’, and for years the debate has been bantered back and forward between protagonists. “It might be a ‘scallop’ of potato but let’s not confuse it with a serve of scallops! That’s a totally different kettle of, well fish.” “How can you call it a ‘cake’ when you don’t bake it, you deep fry it?”

How the yanks made a hash of our humble potato scallop • All Aboard Seafoods (1)Whatever you call it, this humble little potato product has been an Australian fast food favourite and taste-tempting staple for longer than we care to remember. So it was a moment of shock and horror when Capt’n Snappy saw an online article about what the Yanks are doing to our perfect potato scallop or should we say, ‘The Original Australian Battered Potatoes’ as they have been dubbed by our demented American amigos!

While the name itself is a worry, what they are doing to them is enough to make you choke on your Aussie Weeties (god only knows what they might do if they got their hands on our Aussie wheat -based breakfast icon). They are slathering them with ranch dressing. Yes, that’s right. Ranch dressing? Is nothing sacred? But that’s not the end of their sacrilege. They’re adding insult to injury by smothering it with melted cheese and bacon.

Fair suck of the sav Uncle Sam! Yes, we’ve been known to add salt to ours(great flavour enhancer that goes with everything – even ice cream) , vinegar and OK, tomato sauce, but never ketchup.

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The Yanks apparently sell them like that at their State Fairs, which we think is a totally un-fair way to treat our little tatty morsel. And they apparently can’t get enough of them. They’re disappearing from the fair booths faster than an Eagles supporter walking through Fremantle! Guess there is no accounting for taste.
How the yanks made a hash of our humble potato scallop • All Aboard Seafoods (2)

We know the big production number Yanks make about their hot dogs and that’s OK, because they invented them, along with baseball, that game that’s sort of like cricket without the ‘dah-dat-da-dah’ organ music and ‘Take me out to the ball game’ singing, but why did they have to focus their dastardly dietary habits on one of our all-time favourite snacks?

How the yanks made a hash of our humble potato scallop • All Aboard Seafoods (3)

Couldn’t they have just left it as it is? They’ve insulted our fish n chips, saying that they reduce the effects of the flu vaccine. Haven’t they done enough damage? C’mon America, we don’t try and mess with your Ribs or interfere with your Mum’s homemade apple pie, so please, take a step back, move away from the potato scallops, or cakes, and turn your talents to stuffing up all things Italian, or better still, focus on those fullas across the ditch, we hear they do some strange things involving lamb!

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How the yanks made a hash of our humble potato scallop • All Aboard Seafoods (2024)

FAQs

What are potato scallops called in the USA? ›

In some states it's known as a 'potato scallop', in others it's a 'potato cake', and for years the debate has been bantered back and forward between protagonists. “It might be a 'scallop' of potato but let's not confuse it with a serve of scallops!

What is the difference between potato scallops and hash browns? ›

You probably already know that Maccas hash browns are fairly chunky, crispy, and the potato itself has a sort of 'mashed' texture. Potato scallops, on the other hand, consist of one continuous thin slice of potato that is then battered and deep fried.

Who says potato scallops? ›

Victorians stood by potato cake while those in NSW believed it was a scallop. This map shows the national divide on the naming of the deep fried treat. This particular language difference drives a very strong barrier between Victoria and NSW.

Are potato scallops a northern thing? ›

In Northern England and some states in Australia, a thin slice of potato that is battered and deep fried may be called a potato scallop. In Australia and New Zealand, the terms potato cake, potato flip and potato fritter may be used.

Does Mcdonald's sell potato scallops? ›

“We've got the latest spins on your burger favourites, topped off with the debut of Potato Scallops with Chicken Salt and Hokey Pokey Thickshake.” “Whatever your plans are, we've got you covered, because nothing quite goes together like the great Aussie summer and Macca's.”

Which country scallop is the best? ›

Natural environment of Mutsu Bay produces delicious scallops

Among all the seafood produced in Japan scallops are particularly popular and overseas exports continue to increase. There are some specific reasons as to why Mutsu Bay is famous for its delicious scallops.

What states call potato scallops? ›

On social media, promotional posts lead to a number of impassioned followers disputing the fast-food giant's choice of name after it advertised the deep-fried potato snack as a scallop. In Queensland, NSW and the ACT, this is the preferred name for the takeaway staple, but in Victoria and Tasmania, it's potato cake.

Why don't we eat all of the scallop? ›

The roe and other organs are discarded at sea when they are shucked by the crew. The entire scallop is edible, but in the US, it is advised to only eat the meat as other parts of the scallop may retain naturally occurring toxins that can lead to PSP or paralytic shellfish poisoning.

What are fake scallops called? ›

Millions of people paying good money for scallops are actually eating cheap stingray, skate, or shark that has been sectioned up by a cookie cutter to look like scallops. Sometimes surimi (fish paste) is used to resemble a scallop.

What part of a scallop can you not eat? ›

But the remaining edible part of the scallop – a tongue-shaped sac of orange roe (egg) and/or white milt (sperm) that wraps around the abductor – may hold on to the toxins, making the roe and milt unsafe to eat. Domoic acid and saxitoxin are the two main toxins.

Why do scallop potatoes turn black? ›

Almost always there are two reasons the potatoes turned black... exposure to air or oxygen and black spot bruising.

What is Irish for scallops? ›

scolbáil » Scallop. báisín » (co*ckle-, scallop-) shell. cairbreán » (Grooved valve of) scallop-shell. camóg » Concave scallop-shell.

What is another name for potato scallops? ›

Much of South Australia chooses to call it a 'potato fritter' along with a tiny region of Western Australia. Meanwhile, a small laid-back region of New South Wales seems to opt for just 'scallop'. The title of the popular fried potato has split the nation with Australians rowing over the correct word on social media.

What is the real name for scalloped potatoes? ›

Potato-based

Sliced raw potatoes may also be baked in a liquid or sauce that steams them and forms a golden crust on top. In the US, the dish is referred to variously as funeral potatoes, potatoes au gratin, scalloped potatoes, or au gratin potatoes.

What is an American scallop? ›

Scallops are bivalves (having two shells), like clams and oysters. The shells are held together by the adductor muscle (the part of the scallop Americans typically eat). Sea scallops have a saucer-shaped shell with scalloped or fluted edges. The upper shell is usually reddish-pink or brown in color.

What do they call potato cakes in England? ›

It seems the Irish call them Potato bread, the English call them potato cakes (Lancashire), Scottish call them potato scones (tottie scones).

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