Now and then, I look back at a few of my past recipes and give them a facelift. I decided to do that here with the beautiful sea scallops.

Making two completely different dishes using this one ingredient. If you remember, my original Sea Scallop Gratin was made as an entrée. As delicious as that dish was, I wanted to tweak it slightly. This time, both of my scallop dishes are appetizers: Sea Scallops Two Ways, Scallop Ceviche, and Scallop Gratin.

They’re delicious, great for entertaining, and simple to make. The Ceviche is a gluten-free dish. If you choose to use gluten-free Panko, the gratin can be too. The specific change I wanted to make is in how I used the topping for this gratin. In my original recipe, the topping covered the top of the scallops. Even though the topping is essential to this dish, I wanted the scallops to peek through a bit more, allowing them to caramelize on top. It’s really about the balance between the topping and the scallops themselves.

Anyway, let’s talk about my fresh mango and cucumber ceviche. I’m putting my spin on a Peruvian-style Ceviche. They have these large popcorn kernels in Peru that you can’t seem to get here. I just bought some corn nuts! You’ve seen those salty, large corn kernels they sell in convenience stores. I sprinkle a few on top of each serving. This gives the Ceviche great texture and crunch.

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When you’re ready to work with sea scallops,  the side muscle on each scallop needs to be removed. You don’t want to eat it. The pictures above help to illustrate what I mean. You always want to pat the scallops dry using a paper towel to remove any excess moisture before continuing with your recipes.

1) Scallop Gratin:
Prep Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 to 13 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Equipment: 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, 6 small gratin dishes, a large mixing bowl, a chef’s knife, a meat-safe cutting board

1) Ingredients For Scallop Gratin:
1 pound of sea scallops cleaned, dried, and quartered
6 tablespoons of dry white wine
6 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 shallots, finely minced (substitute 1/2 red onion, finely minced)
1 teaspoon of Fresno chili, seeded and minced (optional)
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of basil leaves, finely chopped
2 whole lemons, 1 lemon zested, 1 lemon cut into 6 wedges
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of Pernod (anise-flavored liqueur)
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
1 1/2 heaping cups of Panko bread crumbs (substitute gluten-free Panko) 
6 tablespoons of olive oil
Garnish:
1/4 cup of red onion, finely diced

2) Scallop Ceviche:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 3 1/2 to 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Equipment: 4 martini glasses for serving, 4 cocktail spoons, chef’s knife, meat-safe cutting board, cutting board

2) Ingredients For Scallop Ceviche:
1/2 pound of sea scallops, cleaned, dried, and quartered
5 whole limes, juiced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 Fresno chili, seeded and diced (substitute jalapeno)
1/2 an English (hothouse) cucumber, seeded and diced
2 fresh mangos, pit removed and diced
2 Haas avocados, pit removed and diced
1/2 cup of red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup of yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup of orange bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Garnishes:
3 to 4 fresh cilantro leaves, per glass 
4 to 5 corn nuts per glass

1) Instructions for the Scallop Gratin:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Take 6 small gratin dishes, and place them on two baking sheets. Equally divide a pound of cleaned, dried, and quartered scallops into the dishes. Next, add one tablespoon of dry white wine to the dishes.

In a large bowl, add one stick of softened unsalted butter. To the softened butter, add minced garlic, finely minced red onion (or minced shallots), minced Fresno chili (optional), fresh, finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped basil, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, Pernod (anise-flavored liqueur), kosher salt, fresh-ground black pepper, Panko (or gluten-free Panko) breadcrumbs, and olive oil. Mix all these ingredients to make the topping.

Using a spoon, equally divide the topping among the six gratin dishes. Do not completely cover the scallops. This will allow the scallops to caramelize on top.

Cook for 10-13 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, squeeze a wedge of fresh lemon juice over each of the Scallop Gratin and serve immediately.

2) Instructions for the Scallop Ceviche:
First, place the quartered scallops in a bowl (that has a lid to fit). Add the diced bell peppers, onions, jalapeno, kosher salt, olive oil, and fresh lime juice to the bowl. Stir all the ingredients together. Make sure all the ingredients are submerged in the lime juice. Place the lid on and refrigerate for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Every half hour, stir the ingredients. Then press all the ingredients down into the lime juice so they’re completely submerged.  When the scallops are completely opaque, they are ready.

At this point, slice the avocado and spritz it with a little lime juice to keep its bright green color. Next, dice the mango and cucumber. Have 4 glasses or whatever you choose to serve your ceviche in ready.  Take the Ceviche out of the fridge. Using a spoon, place an equal amount of the scallops, diced bell peppers, jalapenos, and onions in each glass.

Add the diced mango and cucumber to each one. Garnish with avocado, cilantro leaves, and corn nuts. Place the glasses on a sheet tray and refrigerate until ready to serve.

There you have it, my Sea Scallops Two-Ways, Scallop Ceviche, and Scallop Gratin.

Notes:
1) Marinating seafood in citrus is very common in Latin cuisine and a great way to experience fresh scallops. If you decide to make these two appetizers, start with the Ceviche. You need the scallops cleaned, quartered, and submerged in the citrus marinade.

2) When you’re ready to work with sea scallops,  the side muscle on each scallop needs to be removed. You don’t want to eat it. The pictures above help to illustrate what I mean. You always want to pat the scallops dry using a paper towel to remove any excess moisture before continuing with your recipes.

3) My Scallop Gratin is just as easy to make. I’ve made some slight changes to my original recipe. I found “less to be more” in the final presentation of the Scallop Gratin.

4) It doesn’t matter if you’re making them as a main course, using larger gratin dishes, or as an appetizer using smaller ones. The method is still the same. This time, I’m not completely covering the scallops with the topping. I’m allowing the scallops to peek through the topping so the scallops begin to caramelize. The balance between the two works perfectly.

5) The estimated Kcal count is for the Scallop Gratin.

6) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/