How to put out a grease fire

Comments in this blog comment could offer a clue to the blue color. The most relevant part says:

The blue color in the liquid is due to a change in the natural chemical composition of the scallop meat during spawning.

That doesn't explain the hard white stuff, but maybe it'll put you on the right track. If there's a state or university agricultural extension near you, they might be able to shed some more light on the mystery.

Regarding the use of pallets, the link below is to a site that gives good examples of why not to use them for any type of repurposed project due to unknown chemical treatment, e-coli contamination, mold, fungus and other nasty things that could leach from the wood.

We use hardwood branches from known (chemical-free) sources for smoking meat.

http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/repurposed-wood-pallet-toxic.html

Here is an additional link to a pizza oven manufacturer's site with their wood recommendations. They do not recommend using any wood that has had any sort of chemical treatment. If you do not know the source of the wood, there is no reliable way to verify that it is chemical-free.

http://www.fornobravo.com/pizza_oven_management/choosing_wood.html