Conpoy

Conpoy or dried scallop is a type of Cantonese dried seafood product that is made from the adductor muscle of scallops.<ref name="Simonds2005">Template:Cite book</ref> The smell of conpoy is marine, pungent, and reminiscent of certain salt-cured meats. Its taste is rich in umami due to its high content of various free amino acids, such as glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid. It is also rich in nucleic acids such as inosinic acid, amino acid byproducts such as taurine, and minerals, such as calcium and zinc.Template:Citation needed

Conpoy is produced by cooking raw scallops and then drying them.

Terminology

Conpoy is a loanword from the Cantonese pronunciation of 乾貝 (Template:Zh), which literally means "dried shell(fish)".

Usage

File:Driedscallopconpoy.jpg

Scallops for sale at a market.

In Hong Kong, conpoy from two types of scallops are common. Conpoy made from Atrina pectinata or Template:Zh (江珧) from mainland China is small and milder in taste. Mizuhopecten yessoensis or Template:Zh (扇貝), a sea scallop imported from Japan (hotategai, 帆立貝 in Japanese), produces a conpoy that is stronger and richer in taste Template:Citation needed.

As with many dried foods, conpoy was originally made as a way to preserve seafood in times of excess.<ref name="TsaiBoehm1999">Template:Cite book</ref> In more recent times its use in cuisine has been elevated to gourmet status. Conpoy has a strong and distinctive flavor that can be easily identified when used in rice congee, stir fries, stews, and sauces.

XO sauce, a seasoning used for frying vegetables or seafoods in Cantonese cuisine, contains significant quantities of conpoy. For example, the Lee Kum Kee formulation lists conpoy as the third ingredient on its label.

See also

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