Restaurants unveil incredible line-up of dishes for Rye Bay Scallop Festival

Throughout Rye Bay Scallop Week, restaurants in and around Rye showcase an array of different scallop dishes and some have already set out their menus. Those taking part range from the historic Mermaid Inn to Marino’s Fish Bar, which is offering battered scallops and chips.

The Mermaid is serving scallop dishes and lunch and dinner throughout the week and these include: pan seared scallop with sweetcorn and bacon risotto; brown butter and lemon Rye Bay scallop ceviche with blood orange, chilli, lemongrass, apple and ginger; poached scallops Veronique with Noilly Prat, grape and tarragon and Rye Bay scallop Grenobloise with confit lemon, capers and celeriac purée.

The Globe Inn March, at Military Road also has a number of dishes on offer including: Individual Rye Bay scallop with lemon and parsley butter; Rye Bay scallops with celeriac purée and chorizo; scallops with pine nut and tender-stem pesto linguine; curried coconut scallops and scallops with spinach hummus and crispy chickpeas.

The Owl, at nearby Camber is also taking part with dishes that include scallops with Parma ham crisp and celeriac purée.

There are plenty of events to enjoy throughout Scallop Week including a live Sex Pistols tribute act called Never Mind the Scallops, which takes place at Rye Community Centre on Friday February 27 and a classic car and motorcycle meet at Aubrey Halls in Rock Channel on Sunday February 22 from 9am.

There will also be special taster evenings at No.50; Webbe’s Scallop School – a full-day, hands-on scallop masterclass with Paul Webbe; Rye Bay Crew: Scallops and Shanties with scallops, songs of the sea and maritime music spanning 500 years. There will be wine pairings, pop-up food events and scallop-inspired art workshops.

Rye Chocolates are joining in the fun by offering solid hand-made chocolate scallops for sale.

A spokesperson said: "Restaurants, pubs, cafés and venues across Rye and the surrounding area will be showcasing Rye Bay scallops in all their glorious forms – from classic comforts to boundary-pushing plates.

"Rye Bay Scallop Week is all about variety. Expect scallops steamed, seared, tempura’d, ceviche’d, baked, buttered, wrapped, paired, puréed and probably surprises we haven’t even thought of yet. Whether you’re after a quick scallop bap, a long leisurely tasting menu, or a full-blown evening of food and music, there’s plenty to get your teeth into."

You can keep up to date with what is happening at the festival website at www.scallop.org.uk/