Scallop ceviche

[torakris]

A friend is coming over for lunch and I decided to make a Japanese style ceviche with scallops (also avocado, myoga and shiso). I want to "marinade" the scallops with sudachi, a Japanese citrus sort of like lime. I looked at two recipes I have and one says to put the scallops (in lime juice) for only 10 minutes where the other recipe says 3 hours....

A quick look on the web gives me times anywhere from 10 minutes to up to 4 hours.

What is a good time for scallops?

and should I slice them or cube them?

[carswell]

In Julia Child & Company, JC says, "Cover and marinate (let sit) in the refrigerator for half an hour, or until serving time." Thirty minutes has always worked for me. Her marinade consists of lime juice, salt, pepper, minced shallots or scallions and minced parsley. Lime juice is great but so is grapefruit, seville orange or meyer lemon juice or various combinations thereof.

Edit: "Wash and drain the scallops to remove possible sand. Dipping a sharp knife in cold water for each cut, slice them crosswise (across the grain) into pieces 3/16 inch (0.75 cm) thick."

Edit: The citric acid will cause the scallops' colour to change to a more opaque white, similar to what happens when they're cooked. The scallops are ready to eat as soon as the colour has changed all the way through, though no harm comes from lettting them sit a while longer.

Edited September 17, 2004 by carswell (log)

[JosephB]

I find that the proper marriage of flavors is never reached in less than one hour.

In Julia Child & Company, JC says, "Cover and marinate (let sit) in the refrigerator for half an hour, or until serving time." Thirty minutes has always worked for me. Her marinade consists of lime juice, salt, pepper, minced shallots or scallions and minced parsley. Lime juice is great but so is grapefruit, seville orange or meyer lemon juice or various combinations thereof.

Edit: "Wash and drain the scallops to remove possible sand. Dipping a sharp knife in cold water for each cut, slice them crosswise (across the grain) into pieces 3/16 inch (0.75 cm) thick."

Edit: The citric acid will cause the scallops' colour to change to a more opaque white, similar to what happens when they're cooked. The scallops are ready to eat as soon as the colour has changed all the way through, though no harm comes from lettting them sit a while longer.

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[torakris]

most of the recipes I looked at called for them just to be marinated in the juice and the other flavors added later. I usually make ceviche with tuna and much stronger flavors like herbs and chiles.

The myoga (ginger buds) I am using are pickled and i am worried that will ditract from the taste of the sudachi, maybe I can add the shiso. I didn't even think about salt and pepper...

[JosephB]

Interesting. That would keep the elements separate. But with chilis for instance, I would think that you'd want the fruit to impart its flavor evenly rather than add a contrast. It's funny, I was just reading the New Yorker food issue from this month, and there's an article consumer tastes and ketchup, etc. One of the things the article discusses is how the most successful products have what the researchers call high magnitude, or a perfect, imperceptible balance of flavors. What we're talking about here is different, but it does bring to mind the idea of well-balanced flavors. When I think of ceviches, gazpachos, salsas, and the like, I want one harmonious taste. Texture is a different issue.

most of the recipes I looked at called for them just to be marinated in the juice and the other flavors added later. I usually make ceviche with tuna and much stronger flavors like herbs and chiles.

The myoga (ginger buds) I am using are pickled and i am worried that will ditract from the taste of the sudachi, maybe I can add the shiso. I didn't even think about salt and pepper...

←

[Suzanne F]

When I worked garde manger at Match Uptown, I marinated fish (usually red snapper, filleted and cut on the bias into thin slices) for no more than 45 minutes in lemon/lime/orange/rice wine vinegar/S&P marinade, then drained. When we used scallops, we sliced them as thin as possible and tossed with marinade a la minute. In both cases, the other ingredients were added as we were finishing the plating: sliced Thai chiles, sliced scallion, chopped cilantro, etc.

[carswell]

One of the things the article discusses is how the most successful products have what the researchers call high magnitude, or a perfect, imperceptible balance of flavors.

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Haven't read the article, but if the balance isn't perceptible, what's the point?

As for marinating time, I can't say I've noticed a difference in the flavour of 30-40 minute ceviche and that of the one-hour version, but then again I've never tasted them side by side. Aside from the stuff that gives parasitoligists nightmares, my big fears with scallop and delicate fish ceviche are overpowering the flesh with other flavours, including the citrus, and toughening the texture by over-long marinating.

I agree about adding chiles and shallots at the start, to soften their bite and meld their flavours (especially important with a sweet-fleshed shellfish like scallops, which benefit from the perking up). "Soft" flavourings like cilantro and tomato I add just before serving.

Edited September 17, 2004 by carswell (log)