Scallop Ceviche with Chili

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This amazing Scallop Ceviche with Chili recipe produces a visually stunning restaurant quality level dish at home. The little secret about this dish is just how simple it is to make! Only a handful of everyday ingredients are needed, and you can produce this delicious Ceviche recipe at home. This light and refreshing dish is a perfect appetizer or a light dinner. It goes great with a glass of Wine, especially during the warmer months of the year. So, why not treat yourself?

How to make the perfect Scallop Ceviche with Chili

There are two key components to this dish, the Scallops, and the sauce (otherwise known as the marinating liquid). While both elements are simple, it is critical that you get both right to ensure the best tasting dish possible. We’ll kick things off with the Scallops, as they are naturally the star of the show

Choosing the right Scallops for the dish

Buying Seafood can always be a little bit tricky. Just peering through a glass display case isn’t really the best way to judge the quality of the Seafood. Our best advice is to ask the Fish Monger if you can have a little bit of a smell of the Scallops. If they have an overt fishy smell, they’re not going to be good. You want a subtle smell, but not too overpowering. That is the sign of a great Scallop

Try to get hand dived Scallops if you can. Hand dived Scallops are exactly what they sound like. They are specifically hand-picked by divers from the bottom of the ocean, or from Scallops farms. You want these over regular Scallops which are dredged using equipment. Dredged Scallops are far more likely to have sand in them, which results in a grainy and unpleasant texture

I prefer the larger Scallops for this dish. This is purely for presentation purposes, and they make preparing the dish a little easier. For our Scallops Ceviche with Chili we carefully slice the Scallops in half. This is primarily to hasten the ‘cooking’ process when the Scallops take a bath in the Ceviche sauce

Halving the Scallops allows for more surface area to get contact with the sauce, reducing the overall cooking time. It also makes for a better looking presentation on the plate, and they are easier to eat. Just make sure you cut the Scallops with a very sharp knife, and try to cut them in one, clean motion

Making the delicious Citrus Sauce

The second key component in this Scallop Ceviche with Chili recipe is the sauce. The Sauce has two major purposes in the recipe. The first is obviously to taste good, and this one does that in spades! The combination of Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, and finely ground Garlic make for a delicious and refreshing flavor!

The second major requirement for a Ceviche sauce is that it needs to ‘cook’ the Seafood. The acid from the citrus fruits will slowly cook the Seafood, which will change its color to a bright white color. The flavor of the Scallops will also change, taking on those wonderful citrus flavors

Make sure you are using Scallops that can be eaten raw

Now you can eat the Scallops completely raw (provided you’ve purchased some good quality Scallops – always best to check with the Fish Monger before you eat raw Seafood), however letting them sit in the sauce for 15 – 20 minutes gives them a beautiful color, texture, and flavor

It’s got to be one of the easiest dishes to cook. Simply make up the sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the sauce and the Scallops. Then, drop the Scallops in the sauce and leave them alone for 15 minutes! That’s it!

Try to ensure that the bowl is large enough to hold the sauce and the Scallops, but not too large that the Scallops won’t be completely submerged in the liquid. You want those Scallops completely submerged to ensure a good, even cook

You can just make more sauce (keeping the ratios even) to accommodate this, or simply cook the Seafood in batches. It is important that the Scallops are completely submerged to cook evenly

An optional step is to strain the sauce before plating

When using freshly squeezed juice (especially Orange Juice) you’ll likely get a bunch of bits floating around. These are perfectly fine to eat, but they don’t add anything to the flavor. Their texture isn’t pleasant, and they don’t look all that appealing either

Therefore, we recommend straining the Sauce once you are ready to plate. This way you’ll be able to discard those bits, along with the diced Garlic, resulting in a silky-smooth looking sauce. At this point the Sauce has already taken on the flavor of the Garlic, so it’s done its job and can be discarded

Once your Scallops are ready, it’s time to plate up!

Visually, this is an impressive looking dish, so try to have some fun with the plating and presentation! I like to place the Scallops evenly across a plate and then pour just enough sauce into the plate to cover it, without it overflowing

Then you can add the garnish of Red Chili and finely diced Scallions to the dish. The Chili adds a subtle punch of heat, but not too much so don’t freak out! We highly recommend adding the Chili to the dish, as that subtle hit of spice really elevates the dish. Keep a few seeds on there too!

The Green Onions / Scallions are an optional addition, but not only do they look amazing on the plate, but they add a lovely crunchy texture to the Scallop Ceviche with Chili dish. I find this is needed, and it truly helps to elevate the dish to restaurant quality levels!

You can also try this dish with different types of Seafood

The joy of cooking Ceviche is that very often it’ll work with different types of Fish and Seafood. Other Shellfish would be a great alternative to Scallops if you want to try it out. Shrimp and Clams would be a great choice. You could even have some fun with Clams by plating the Clams in their shells and pouring the sauce over the top!

Fish is another great option. Just think about the typical Fish that you would enjoy raw at your favorite Sushi place and chances are it’s going to taste great in a Ceviche. Some common types of Fish that work in Ceviche is Salmon, Tuna, Kingfish, Snapper, and Fluke. There are loads of great options, so why not try out a few and see which you prefer

Scallop Ceviche with Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 Large Scallops, roe removed
• Juice of 2 Oranges
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 Red Chili, finely sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, finely grated
• ½ tsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Scallions, finely diced
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Combine the Orange Juice, lemon Juice, Lime, Soy Sauce, Garlic, and Salt into a large bowl and set aside
2. Carefully slice the Scallops in half with a sharp knife. Fully submerge the Scallops in the sauce and leave for 15 minutes
3. Remove the Scallops from the Sauce and place on a plate. Strain the sauce and then pour over the plate. Garnish the Scallops with Red Chili and Salt. Serve immediately
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Straining the sauce is optional, but it will make for a better presentation. The Sauce will have already taken on the flavor of the Garlic by this point so it can be discarded
• Ensure that the Scallops are completely submerged in the sauce when left for 15 minutes. This will ensure an even cook throughout
  
  

That is our super-simple and delicious recipe for the most amazing Scallops Ceviche with Chili you’ll ever eat. It’s amazing how such beautiful, restaurant quality level dishes can so easily be made at home. So long as you can source some good quality Scallops, this dish will taste amazing, so give it a go!

For more wonderful Seafood recipes check out our dedicated section here. Here are a few of our favorite Seafood dishes that we know you’re going to enjoy:

• Lime Coconut Fish Soup
• Easy Crispy Coconut Shrimp
• Red Snapper Aguachile
• Holiday Seafood Platter
  
  

Happy Cooking!