Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning shellfish such as scallops to separate the edible muscle tissue from the waste soft mass of viscera and organs. The apparatus has a plurality of reciprocating plates alternating with stationary working plates, where the forward action of the reciprocating plates moves the scallops from one stationary plate to the next. The surfaces of each of the plates, reciprocating and stationary, are covered with a gritty or abrasive material which the waste material clings to, separating itself from the edible muscle tissue. The cleaning occurs both during the forward and the reverse movement of the reciprocating plates.