Hotate Tamarei 3S are flash-frozen scallop adductor muscles processed by Tatsumi Reito Shokuhin in Sarufutsu, a village on Hokkaido’s Sea of Okhotsk coast. The 3S grade denotes a smaller size, making the scallops small enough to serve whole in a single bite.

The processing plant is about a five-minute drive from the landing site. There, the scallops are shucked, and the round adductor muscles are removed and quickly frozen in a tunnel freezer. The short time between landing and freezing helps preserve their natural sweetness and firm, slightly springy texture.

After thawing slowly in the refrigerator, the scallops can be served whole as sashimi, briefly seared in butter, or stirred into pasta just before serving.