Happens with scallops as well.
IDENTIFYING FAKE SCALLOPS
While you can’t always trust labels, you can trust your eyes and nose. Here are a few tips to help you decipher if scallops are authentic or fake.
*SIZE: Scallops from nature will vary in size and never have a perfect cylinder shape to them. Fake scallops have an identical circumference because they are made using a cookie cutter device. Also, if you see one edge thicker than the other, it’s either stingray or skate wings that taper greatly from one side to the other.
*TEXTURE: Genuine scallops have distinct grains or fibers running lengthwise, as the edible part of scallop meat serves as a muscle that holds the two scallop shells together. A fake scallop will have fewer fibers and appear more solid and dense.
*THICKNESS: Look at the thickness and see if it’s the same on all sides. If it’s made from a stingray or skate, it will be thicker on one side because their wings taper greatly from one side to the other.
*SMELL: And lastly, do the sniff test. Scallops should not smell fishy. They normally give off a sweet, seaweed aroma. If it smells fishy, something fishy is going on (literally!)