Definition

1. Noun:

   • A type of shellfish: An edible marine bivalve mollusk with a distinctive fluted, fan-shaped shell. It moves by clapping its shells together to expel water in a jet.
   • A thin slice of meat: A thin, boneless slice of meat, typically veal, that is often flattened and cooked by frying or broiling.
   • The edible muscle of a mollusk: Specifically, the adductor muscle of certain mollusks like scallops, served as seafood, often broiled, poached, or used in salads and sauces.

2. Verb:

   • To bake with a topping: To prepare a food, typically by baking it in a sauce (like milk or cream) and often covering it with breadcrumbs.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Shellfish):

  • We found an escallop on the beach, its fan-shaped shell was beautiful.
  • The diver collected escallops from the seabed.

• Noun (Slice of Meat):

  • The recipe calls for an escallop of veal, pounded thin.
  • She ordered veal escallop with a lemon sauce.

• Noun (Mollusk Muscle):

  • The seafood platter included grilled escallops.
  • He made a salad with fresh escallops and a vinaigrette.

• Verb:

  • She will escallop the potatoes with cheese and breadcrumbs.
  • The fish was escalloped in a creamy sauce.

Advanced Usage

• "To escallop" vegetables: This verb form is often used in cooking contexts for preparing dishes like potatoes or oysters in a casserole style with sauce and topping.
  • For the potluck, she decided to escallop the corn in a baking dish.

Variants and Related Words

• Scallop: This is the more common modern spelling for all meanings of "escallop." The words are interchangeable.

  • We ate scallops (or escallops) for dinner.
  • She wore a dress with a scalloped (or escalloped) hem.

• Escalloped (adjective): Describes food prepared in the baked, topped manner, or an edge cut into a series of curves.

  • escalloped potatoes
  • an escalloped neckline on a blouse

Synonyms

• Noun (Shellfish/Muscle): Scallop, shellfish, bivalve.
• Noun (Slice of Meat): Cutlet, scallop, schnitzel (for veal/pork).
• Verb: Bake, gratinée (to cook with a browned topping).

Related Phrases

• To cook en escallop: A phrase, derived from French, meaning to cook in the style of a scallop shell or a shell-shaped dish.
  • The oysters were cooked en escallop.

Related Idioms

(This word does not commonly feature in idiomatic expressions. Its usage is primarily literal and culinary.)

Noun

1. edible marine bivalve having a fluted fan-shaped shell that swim by expelling water from the shell in a series of snapping motions
2. thin slice of meat (especially veal) usually fried or broiled
3. edible muscle of mollusks having fan-shaped shells; served broiled or poached or in salads or cream sauces

Verb

1. bake in a sauce, milk, etc., often with breadcrumbs on top