Cookbook:San Francisco style Scallop Ceviche

Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes | California cuisine | Seafood | Appetizers

A ceviche is a seafood dish, originating in Peru, that relies on acid rather than heat to cook the fish. This recipe adds a bit of a California twist by adding sliced avocado to the dish.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 g) bay scallops
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons)
• 4 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) cayenne pepper, ground
• Salt, to taste
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Procedure

1. In a non-reactive bowl, combine the scallops and lemon juice, add more juice as needed to cover the scallops. Refrigerate, covered, and stir often for 2 hours, until the scallops become opaque.
2. For the sauce, add the bell peppers, vinegar, oil, cayenne, and salt into a food processor or blender, and purée.
3. To serve, spoon the sauce onto individual plates, drain the scallops and place on the sauce. Garnish with slices of avocado.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer.

Variations

• For a more Southwestern flavor, replace 1/4 cup lemon juice with lime juice, and replace the bell peppers with New Mexico chili peppers.

Warning

Eating raw seafood is an effective way to get sick. Scallops are filter feeders found near shore, which makes them particularly filthy if sourced from a polluted area. Make sure you buy your scallops the day you plan to serve them, from a reputable fishmonger who can tell you something about where the scallops have come from, and when they were collected.