Peruvian-Style Scallop Ceviche (makes 4 appetizers)

scallop ceviche

scallop ceviche

A few months ago my husband and I went out with a few friends for Peruvian food and one of the dishes we ordered was seafood ceviche.  I was horrified that this restaurant with beautiful interior and white linen tablecloth would actually serve fake scallops, probably made from fish.  They were cut in perfect round pieces to resemble scallops.  No one at our table seemed to notice or mind so I did not say anything.  No, I am not going to tell you the name of the restaurant on this blog.  Today I decided to make similar style ceviche but using REAL scallops harvested locally!  I added the mini sweet peppers for color and texture.  I also found the special dried maiz mote pelado (which is called giant white corn in English)  for sale at Shaws (market) in Boston.  They made this dish extra special.  I put the finished product in colored martini glasses making it more fun to devour these appetizers!

Peruvian-Style Scallop Ceviche (makes 4 appetizers)

Ingredients:

12 sea scallops, tough muscles removed, picked out any white sand, washed, diced each one into 8-12 pieces
1/2 C dried giant white corn (maiz mote pelado), soaked overnight, cooked for about 20 minutes or until softened, trimmed off tips
1/4 C chopped cilantro

1 Tbsp chopped scallion

Zest from 1/2 lemon 

1 red mini sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow mini sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon (about 2 1/2 Tbsps), plus more
1/2 tsp salt (plus more right before serving)
1/2 tsp white pepper (plus more right before serving)
Thin lemon wedges, garnish (optional)

Method:

1) Put the scallop, corn, cilantro, scallion, zest, mini peppers, onion, juice, salt, and white pepper in a large bowl and mix well.
2) Divide the portion into 4 serving plates or glasses.  Squeeze a little more juice, grate a little more zest, add a pinch of salt and white pepper over each plate or glass.  Garnish each with a lemon wedge or anything you want.

*If at all possible use a microplane to zest the lemon rind.  I like a hint of the zest taste and the specks of yellow make this dish pretty.
*The maiz mote pelado (giant white corn) are grown in the Andes Mountains.  The dried corn will cook faster if you soak them overnight.
*If you are serving ceviche for a party, you can add the lemon juice right before serving.  Mix everything and then put the contents in a smaller bowl.  Add ice to another bowl (larger than the content bowl).  Then put the content bowl on top of the ice bowl to keep the dish cold.
*I used frozen scallops to make this ceviche.  The process of freezing will kill many of the bacteria.  If you are immunosuppressed you should not be eating raw seafood.  If you are unsure please check with your health care providers before consuming any raw seafood.  Never eat raw seafood that has been handled poorly, not refrigerated properly or been harvested in dirty water.

 reflections (Boston, 2013)