Saxifrage is a leaf vegetable similar to lettuce which grows wild in rocky places along the East Coast of North America. It is used as a vegetable in the cuisine of the American South.
Either black or silver, the scabbard fish is a long fish is a Madeiran speciality as it is caught in large quantities in its waters. It is often incorrectly translated as swordfish, which is a quite different fish. Ithe scabbard fish has well flavoured, delicate, flaky white flesh with good texture. Because of its great length it can really only be dealt with by cutting it into pieces, after which it may be fried or grilled, but it also has good firmness for use in stews.
Scad, jack or horse mackerel. The tough part near the tail must be removed before cooking. Fish which have a firm tail section and bright eyes are the ones to select. They are at their best from spring to autumn (US: fall). In Japan they are used for sashimi or sushi and may also be grilled, simmered or deep-fried.
Generally speaking in the UK scallop refers to the pilgrim or great scallop. These are shellfish with white meats and pink corals, often cooked in their shells with the corals and have sweet, succulent meat if properly cooked. According to legend, the body of St James (St-Jacques) travelled with a boat with neither oars nor sails around the Iberian coast, coming to rest in Compostela. Many miracles were associated with this journey, including one where the horse of a pagan nobleman leaped into the sea. They emerged carrying the body of St James covered in scallop shells. This resulted in the nobleman converting to Christianity. Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela have traditionally worn scallop shell badges in commemoration of St James, or used scallop shells as begging bowls. The whole pilgrim route is decorated with his emblem. In some parts of Europe they are eaten on the feast day of St James on 25 July to commemorate the arrival of pilgrims or peregrinos at Santiago de Compostela, often with tomatoes and garlic. They are more often simply and lightly fried.
Summer squash, common in the United States. The creamy white flesh and seeds are eaten as a vegetable when it is very young.
Sweet sop. A variety of custard apple, a tropical fruit which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. When buying choose very soft fruits indeed. The skin is green or purplish-green and scaly, almost fir-cone patterned, in appearance. Inside, the flesh is creamy in colour and consistency, but has to be sucked from the shiny black seeds. The flesh has a sweet-sour flavour, sometimes slightly custardy and larger ones have the luscious and complex taste of banana, mango and vanilla. They are often made into fritters, or sliced and steeped in wine.
The scaly tooth mushroom is an edible fungus with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Found in coniferous woodland in autumn (US: fall). (If gathering mushrooms you must be absolutely certain what you have before you eat them as many are very poisonous.)
These are the shelled tail meats of Dublin Bay prawns or Norway lobsters, small, elongated lobsters with a delicious flavour. In the UK these are commonly dipped in breadcrumbs, deep fried and served with tartar sauce and chips (US: fries). Sometimes they will be made with meat from monkfish (US: angler fish) tails.
