We have had an abundance of amazingly fresh Tasmanian scallops at MoVida in the past couple of months. When you have seafood this fresh it is a shame to over-complicate things with strong sauces or too many components. This is why I have used very clean flavours for the scallop ceviche, such as rice wine vinegar that is not too harsh and rice malt syrup, which has a richer flavour and is not as sweet as normal sugar.
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp rice malt syrup
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp chopped chives
24 scallops, roe removed*
extra virgin olive oil
8 sorrel leaves
nasturtium leaves
salt and pepper
* When buying scallops, ask the fishmonger if they are fresh or frozen - fresh is better.
In a small bowl mix together the vinegar and rice malt syrup until the syrup is dissolved.
Add the lime juice and chives, then put the scallops in the bowl and mix gently until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
To serve, place 6 scallops on a plate with some of the dressing and drizzle olive oil over each serve. Finish with some torn sorrel leaves, nasturtium leaves, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
FRANK'S TIP
When working with seafood you plan to cure or eat raw, take extra care with the cleanliness of the equipment you use.
Serving suggestion: If you don't want to serve a plate of them as I have here, another option is as a tasty finger-food dish. Make small croutons by frying stale bread, top them with some pea puree spiked with mint and ground fennel and finish with a marinated scallop on top.
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