No Destinations: Malibu Rock Scallop Catch and Cook

Spearfishing in California can be hit or miss. Sometimes, the visibility isn’t great, it’s generally cold, and the fish go on vacation. This is one of those times.

I meet up with my cousin Mike and his buddy Kapono for a day out in Malibu. Mike, who’s visiting from Japan where he currently teaches, only has a few days left out here to meet up. We decide it’s as good of as time as any to dive and we hit the water.

While I’m in a 5mm wetsuit, complaining about the cold, Mike’s going in bareback without hesitation. While he may lack the scoot to show up on time, he shows up with grit by the barrel-load. And it’s not grit alone that makes Mike a great diver, it’s his mentality and skill. He couldn’t find his state-side wetsuit in time, but his appetite for adventure wins over his reservation. Rather than calling it off and doing something else, he’s fully in.

The water temperature is just about 60-degrees, enough to sit the hardiest of dudes on the shoreline. The visibility is just shy of typical California coast. While I can’t see a damn thing in the murky, surging water today, he’s seeing opportunities and even pulls out a nice rock scallop.

His quick and easy recipe for this catch and cook is to take the scallop button, lay it on the round-side, and slice it into a noodle for a quick brown butter fry. Simple and delicious.