Queenies — the Isle of Man's queen scallops, and where to eat them

Queenies are queen scallops, and they’re the one thing on a Manx menu worth ordering every time you see it. This page covers what they are and how the island catches them, how they’re served, where to eat them in Peel, Douglas and Port St Mary, what became of the Queenie Festival, and where to buy some to cook yourself.

What a queenie is

A queenie is a queen scallop, Aequipecten opercularis. It’s a smaller, rounder relative of the king scallop, with a shell about 7cm across. Adults swim, clapping their shells to jet across the seabed, which is why they’re caught with trawls in summer when they’re active. You eat the white muscle, usually with the orange roe attached. It’s sweeter and more tender than a king scallop.

“Isle of Man Queenies” is a protected designation of origin. It was registered with the EU on 8 November 2012 and moved to the UK scheme on 31 December 2020, so only queen scallops from defined Manx waters can use the name (GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)).

The Manx fishery

The government manages the queenie fishery closely. For 2026 the Isle of Man queen scallop trawl fishery opened on 15 June with a total allowable catch of 1,350 tonnes, and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture publishes progress against it during the season (gov.im (opens in a new tab)). Parts of the territorial sea are closed to fishing, and the island has had conservation measures on scallop grounds since 1989.

About that sustainability label: the Isle of Man queen scallop trawl fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council in 2011. The certificate was suspended in May 2014 after stock surveys showed a drop, and the fishery is now listed as withdrawn from the programme (MSC (opens in a new tab)). If you see an old article calling Manx queenies MSC-certified, it’s out of date. For an independent current rating, check the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide (opens in a new tab).

How they’re served

• Garlic butter — pan-fried quickly, often with bacon. This is the classic and the one to try first.
• Bacon and cream — richer, usually with bread to mop it up.
• In cheese sauce — the pub version, baked and bubbling.
• Battered — deep-fried alongside fish and chips. Not refined, but good.
• Queenie pancake — a stuffed pancake. The Boatyard in Peel calls itself the home of the Manx Queenie Pancake.

Where to eat them

Menus change with the catch, so treat these as places that regularly serve queenies, not a guarantee of what’s on tonight. Each was trading when we checked in September 2026.

Peel

Peel’s quay is the natural place, with the fishing boats tied up opposite.

• The Boatyard, East Quay. A seafood restaurant with harbour and castle views that bills itself as the home of the Manx Queenie Pancake. Open Wednesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. Tuesdays vary, so book online (theboatyardpeel.co.uk (opens in a new tab)). September 2026.
• The Creek Inn, on the quayside. A harbourside pub serving food from midday until 10pm every day. Its menu has featured queenies with bacon in garlic sauce, in cheese sauce and battered with hake. It’s the relaxed option, and busy in the summer and during the TT.

Douglas

• Little Fish Café, 31 North Quay. A seafood restaurant on the harbour, open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Its lunch and dinner menu includes queen scallops with bacon and cream, plus a shellfish bisque with a queenie wonton (littlefishcafe.com (opens in a new tab)). September 2026.

Port St Mary

Port St Mary is where the queenies come ashore rather than where they’re plated up. We couldn’t confirm a restaurant there with queenies on a current menu, so buy some to cook instead (see below).

The Queenie Festival

The Isle of Man Queenie Festival was a summer weekend of cookery demos, tastings and live music in Port Erin and Port St Mary. It was in its fifth year in 2013. We couldn’t find any sign of a recent edition: no 2025 or 2026 dates, and the old queeniefestival.com website no longer works. We’re treating it as finished unless someone announces a return. For this year’s events, see what’s on.

The island’s main food festival now is The Big Manx Feast, the relaunched Isle of Man Food and Drink Festival. It ran on 19–20 September 2026 at Noble’s Park in Douglas, with more than 60 producers and caterers. Advance tickets were £8 and gate tickets £10, and under-16s went free (bigmanxfeast.im (opens in a new tab)). The 2027 dates hadn’t been announced when we checked. It’s a general food festival, not a queenie one. For the rest of the island’s food, see our Manx food and drink guide.

Buying queenies to cook at home

Island Shellfish, on the quayside at Port St Mary, sells half-shell queenies and queenie meat. It runs a click-and-collect service for the public on the island: you order and pay online, then collect at a set time (islandshellfish.co.uk (opens in a new tab)). It says both products are available all year, though between November and January the queenies can naturally lose their roe.

They need almost no cooking. Get the pan very hot, add butter, and take them off as soon as they turn opaque. Queenies go rubbery quickly if you leave them on, and most bad ones you’ll eat were overcooked.