this ceviche is not a metaphor for my relationship with my mother

so, clearly, i've been kinda MIA lately...i'm doing a lot of catching up on things that i meant to blog a while ago. this scallop ceviche was from when i was visiting home a few weeks back.

for anyone who hasn't tried ceviche before, now is the time to start experimenting...it's light and citrus-y, and best made with fresh ingredients: perfect for summer, really. the basic premise sounds kinda repellent, but i promise it's not. ceviche is a dish made most often in coastal south america (particularly peru and ecuador), and is comopsed acid-cooked fish served in the broth in which the fish has marinated.

the exact recipes vary by region, but the broth is often citrus and/or tomato-based with chilies and onions. you can use any kind of white fish, but, obviously, since you're serving it undercooked (the final product comes out more acid-seared than acid-cooked), you should be getting sushi grade stuff. scallop and shrimp ceviches are also popular, but you should flash cook them, by pour boiling water over them, before you pop them in the broth (maybe more than once for scallops, depending on size. for shrimp, leave in water until they turn just slightly pink, then rinse in cold water to prevent rubberiness). how well done your seafood is depends on how long you leave it in the broth. it should be monitored to prevent a rubbery, overcooked state. you can garnish with anything from tomatoes to cilantro or parsley to avocado to corn chips (popcorn is a traditional garnish...somewhere...ecuador? don't quote me on that).

anyway, my favorite thing about ceviche is the way you can mix and match variations in the broth, seafood, "cooking" time, and garnish to make dishes with completely different profiles using the exact same process. this wasn't the best ceviche i've ever made, but it wasn't the worst. next time, i'm playing with grapefruit and lime juices mixed with some coconut milk, which i guess is used in honduran ceviche. but for now:

tomato-less scallop ceviche
in a glass (or other non-reactive) bowl, mix half and half fresh squeezed orange juice (low to medium pulp) and fresh squeezed lime juice. add finely chopped red onion (or shallot). mix in salt, pepper, olive oil, and hot pepper sauce (i used sriracha, my new favorite thing, which has a smoky flavor) to taste. you may want to dilute the mixture with some chicken broth or water.
give the scallops a quick cook in salted, boiling water. chop them and toss them in the broth. cover and refrigerate until done to your satisfaction. garnish with cilantro, avocado, diced roasted tomatoes a la ellen, and a few dots of sriracha.