Scallop Margarita with Tequila Ice
| Serves | 6 |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Seafood, Vegetables, Dairy, Fruits |
| Day Part | Dinner |
| Menu Part | Appetizer/Small Plate |
| Cuisine Type | Mexican |
Source: RIS; photo courtesy of Laura Padgett
This dish is essentially a ceviche topped with granita, but dramatically presented in a stemmed glass and served with tortilla chips.
Ingredients
Tequila Ice
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. lime zest
1/2 oz. tequila
Ancho Chile Paste
2 ancho chilies
1 cup orange juice
Scallop Margarita
1 lb. fresh, dry, scallops, cut into 1/2 in. chunks
1 small red onion, julienned
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves picked and covered with a damp cloth
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, chili julienned
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 scallion, chopped
1 avocado, cut into cubes
1 poblano chile, toasted, peeled, seeds removed and julienned
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sour cream
2 seedless oranges, sectioned
3 limes, 2 cut into 6 slit rounds (save the last for squeezing)
Tortilla chips
Steps
- Prepare Tequila Ice: Combine sugar and water in small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add lime juice, zest and tequila. Stir well and pour into a flat container. (Liquid should be 3/4 inch deep.) Place in freezer for at least 6 hr., running a fork through mixture every hr. to loosen into ice flakes.
- Prepare Ancho Chile Paste: Remove stem and seeds from ancho chilies. Place in a small saucepan and cover with orange juice. Heat gently until chilies are soft. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Puree ancho chile mixture in blender, then strain through fine sieve. Mix orange sections with 1 tbsp. ancho puree, 2 oz. olive oil, salt and pepper. Store covered in refrigerator until ready to use.
- About 1 hr. before serving, prepare Scallop Margarita: Mix diced scallops, 1/2 red onion, pinch of cilantro and a pinch of jalapeno with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate, tossing scallops every 20 min. to ensure even marinating.
- After 45 min., taste a scallop to measure if it is “cooked” to your liking. Once cooked, strain out lime juice, separating scallops from cilantro, red onion and jalapeno in the process.
- Place scallops in a large bowl and add remaining red onion, cilantro and jalapeno, along with scallion, avocado and poblano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and juice of 1 lime. Mix gently and season with more salt, pepper, olive oil or even lime juice to taste.
- For service: Divide scallops into 6 even portions. Place half of each portion in the bottom of a margarita glass Spread 1 tbsp. sour cream over scallops, followed by orange sections; top off with second half of scallop portion. Finish with a small scoop of tequila ice and garnish with lime slice. Serve with tortilla chips.
Tips
- Rub edges of each glass with lime and dip upside down in salt to coat rim.